mafia
|ma/fi/a|
🇺🇸
/ˈmɑːfiə/
🇬🇧
/ˈmæfiə/
organized secret criminal group
Etymology
'mafia' originates from Sicilian/Italian, specifically the Sicilian word 'mafiusu' / Italian 'maffia', where the root is uncertain but is often linked to meanings of 'boldness', 'bravado', or 'protection' (from Sicilian).
'mafiusu' (Sicilian, meaning 'bold, arrogant') and Italian 'maffia' (19th century) were adopted into English as 'mafia' in the late 19th to early 20th century, referring increasingly to organized criminal groups.
Initially it referred to personal qualities such as 'boldness' or local notions of protective pride; over time it came to denote specifically an organized criminal society and, more broadly, any secretive, powerful clique.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an organized criminal society or group engaged in illegal activities such as extortion, racketeering, drug trafficking, and murder, often operating secretly and with a hierarchical structure.
The city launched a major investigation into the mafia after several businessmen reported extortion attempts.
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Noun 2
specifically, the Sicilian or Italian-American secret criminal organization historically known as the Mafia (often capitalized: the Mafia).
Many films of the 1970s depicted the rise and fall of the Mafia in American cities.
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Noun 3
(informal) Any powerful, tightly knit group or clique that exerts secret or undue influence over an area of activity (e.g., the 'city planning mafia' meaning a closed group controlling planning decisions).
Critics referred to the city's developers as a mafia that dictated zoning rules.
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Last updated: 2025/09/13 18:10