Mafia

[ mah-fee-uh; especially British, maf-ee-uh ]

noun

1. the Mafia, a hierarchically structured secret organization allegedly engaged in smuggling, racketeering, trafficking in narcotics, and other criminal activities in the United States, Italy, and elsewhere.
2. Usually mafia. any criminal organization viewed as similar to the Mafia:

   The movie concerns a low-life gambler who borrows money from the French mafia for a seat at a high-stakes poker game.

3. Often mafia. any small but powerful or influential group in an organization or field; an inordinately prominent and controlling clique:

   It was difficult to be the only woman involved in this macho, musical mafia.

4. (in Sicily)
   1. mafia, a popular attitude of hostility to legal restraint and to the law, often manifesting itself in criminal acts.
   2. a 19th-century secret society, similar to the Camorra in Naples, associated with this attitude toward law and crime.

Mafia

/ ˈmæfɪə /

noun

1. the Mafia
   an international secret organization founded in Sicily, probably in opposition to tyranny. It developed into a criminal organization and in the late 19th century was carried to the US by Italian immigrants
2. any group considered to resemble the Mafia See also Black Hand Camorra Cosa Nostra

Mafia

1. A criminal organization that originated in Sicily and was brought to the United States by Italian immigrants in the late nineteenth century. The Mafia is also called the Syndicate, the Mob, and the Cosa Nostra (Our Thing). The Mafia built its power through extortion (forcing tradesmen and shopkeepers to buy Mafia protection against destruction) and by dominating the bootlegging industry (the illegal production and distribution of liquor) during Prohibition . Members of the Mafia often lead outwardly respectable lives and maintain a variety of legitimate businesses as a front, or cover, for their criminal activities, which include extortion, gambling, and narcotics distribution.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mafia¹

First recorded in 1870–75; from Italian, earlier maffia “arrogance” (in Sicilian: “bravery, excellence”), apparently a back formation from mafiuso mafioso ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mafia¹

C19: from Sicilian dialect of Italian, literally hostility to the law, boldness, perhaps from Arabic mahyah bragging

Example Sentences

If they aren’t exposed and discredited, we may witness the rise of a new Mafia.

From Time

It wasn’t just his having mentored with Roy Cohn, the infamous Mafia lawyer, or rubbed shoulders throughout his career with guys like Anthony “Fat Tony” Salerno.

From Time

Magashule does have a bit of a dirty reputation, with the book Gangster State comparing him to a Mafia don.

From Ozy

Like the Mafia Dons of old, they will be brought down by the IRS for their financial crimes.

From Washington Blade

For those who have forgotten their Mafia history, that’s the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

From Ozy

In the Latino community the legacy of the Mexican Mafia spans multiple generations.

From The Daily Beast

The Mexican Mafia run their empire from the penitentiary to the streets of LA.

From The Daily Beast

Robert Morrill, a former gang detective and author of The Mexican Mafia/The Story, said there is little the authorities can do.

From The Daily Beast

Much like the TV show Breaking Bad, the Mexican Mafia are real life methamphetamine kingpins.

From The Daily Beast

As described by its inventor, there is an Honest team and a Mafia team that compete against each other.

From The Daily Beast

The Mafia is more ancient and has a direct ancestry for nearly a thousand years.

From Project Gutenberg

Anyhow, he defied the Mafia, laid in a stock of revolvers and rifles, and rallied his friends around him.

From Project Gutenberg

The Mafia might almost be called a universal conspiracy against law and order.

From Project Gutenberg

Either the Cammoristi, or the Mafia, or some such organisation.

From Project Gutenberg

Don't act this way with these people, because they are all of the (Mala-vita) Mafia and will do you harm in an instant.

From Project Gutenberg