Minor gangster in an earlier age (9)
I believe the answer is:
childhood
'an earlier age' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'minor gangster' is the wordplay.
'minor' becomes 'child' (synonyms).
'gangster' becomes 'hood' (I've seen this before).
'child'+'hood'='CHILDHOOD'
'in' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for childhood that I've seen before include "Between infancy and adolescence" , "Minority" , "Time of immaturity" , "Immature state" , "Early years" .)