mob
UK[mɒb]US[mɑːb]
n
A large crowd of people, especially one that is disorderly and intent on causing trouble or violence.
n
Ordinary people, often seen as being easily influenced.
v
To crowd around someone or something in an excited or disorderly way.
Etymology
The word 'mob' is a clipped form of the Latin phrase 'mobile vulgus', meaning "the fickle common people." It entered English in the late 17th century as a slang abbreviation, capturing the perceived unpredictability and restlessness of a crowd. Over time, it lost its scholarly pretense and became a standard term for a disorderly or aggressive throng. This evolution from a formal Latin descriptor to a blunt English noun exemplifies how language condenses complex social concepts into potent, simple terms.
Analysis
This word is a simplex loanword. Its core form 'mob' functions as an indivisible unit in modern English.
Examples
The police were deployed to control the angry mob outside the building.
Politicians often claim to speak for the silent mob.
Fans mobbed the actor as he tried to leave the theater.