情婦
解説 Definition
（古風で、しばしば侮蔑的な俗語）犯罪者、特にギャングの恋人・情婦。現代の中立的な girlfriend の同義語ではない。
A moll is, in old-fashioned and often derogatory slang, a woman who is the girlfriend or female associate of a criminal, especially a gangster. The term is chiefly encountered in historical accounts, crime fiction, and films rather than neutral modern conversation.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
moll は女性名 Molly の古い愛称 Moll に由来し、そこから俗語的な女性呼称、さらに「犯罪者、特にギャングの情婦・女性仲間」へ意味が狭まりました。gangster's moll という典型的な組み合わせで覚えます。現代では古風で侮蔑的に響き得るため、普通の恋人を指す語としては使いません。
Remember moll through the familiar female name Molly. Moll began as a pet form associated with Molly and later developed into slang for a woman, eventually becoming especially linked with the girlfriend or female companion of a criminal. The classic phrase is a gangster's moll, which evokes older crime novels and films. This historical setting is important: moll is not a neutral modern synonym for girlfriend or partner. It can sound dated, sensational, and derogatory, so learners should mainly recognize it when reading about gangsters or encountering period dialogue rather than use it for an ordinary relationship.
例文
The gangster's moll refused to answer the detective's questions.
そのギャングの情婦は、刑事の質問に答えることを拒んだ。
She played a gangster's moll in the old crime film.
彼女はその昔の犯罪映画でギャングの情婦を演じた。
moll の類義語・関連語
moll の語源・成り立ち Etymology
moll は女性名 Molly の愛称形 Moll から出た語で、Molly 自体は Mary のくだけた形。17世紀に俗語で「いかがわしい女」を指すようになり、後に「犯罪者の情婦」という意味へ狭まった。人名由来だと知ると語感がつかみやすい。
Moll originated as a familiar form of the female name Molly, itself traditionally used as a pet form of Mary. By the seventeenth century, moll had developed slang senses referring disparagingly to a woman. Its meaning later narrowed in criminal slang to a criminal's girlfriend or female associate, especially the companion of a gangster. The modern word retains this historical and often derogatory flavor and is now found mainly in older or deliberately period-style contexts.
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