gamin
/ˈɡamɪn
/ /ˈɡamã/noun dated
A street urchin: [as modifier]: a small girl with her hair cut gamin short...
- If Chicago lacks the vision to see ahead, it will reap the harvest of fostering a kindergarten on the streets where gamins learn crime.
- Lacking formal education, adult supervision, and sometimes even a home, such youths were derided as ‘rats,’ ‘gamins,’ ‘urchins’ and ‘gutter-snipes.’
- The Bowery Theater, in particular, was described as ‘a common ground for the gamins.’
Origin
Mid 19th century: French, originally an eastern dialect word, of unknown origin.