English
goodfella
From good + fella.
Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- ‘to unite, be associated, suit’
Proto-Germanic *gōdaz ‘good’
Proto-West Germanic *gōd ‘good’
Old English gōd ‘good’
Middle English good
English good
The story
Popularized by the American crime film Goodfellas (1990).
Today it means
noun A gangster, especially one in the Mafia.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / goodfella