'gangland' originates from English, formed from the noun 'gang' + 'land', where 'gang' originally meant 'a group that goes or moves together' (from Old English/Old Norse roots) and 'land' meant 'territory'.

'gang' derives from Old English/Old Norse elements such as 'gangan' (to go) and later came to mean 'a group, company' in Middle English; 'land' comes from Old English 'land'. The compound 'gangland' appears in modern English (late 19th to early 20th century) to denote territory or the sphere of gang activity.

Initially a literal compound meaning 'territory of a gang', it broadened to refer to the wider 'world of organized crime' and to describe actions characteristic of that world (e.g., 'gangland killings').