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mafia
- 4 dictionary resultsMa⋅fi⋅a
[mah-fee-uh, maf-ee-uh] 
–noun
| 1. | a hierarchically structured secret organization allegedly engaged in smuggling, racketeering, trafficking in narcotics, and other criminal activities in the U.S., Italy, and elsewhere. |
| 2. | (in Sicily)
|
| 3. | (often lowercase ) any small powerful or influential group in an organization or field; clique. |
Also, Maf⋅fi⋅a.
Origin:
1870–75; < It < Sicilian: orig., elegance, bravura, courage; of obscure orig.; the word's history prior to the 19th century is unknown, though many fictitious ideas have circulated regarding its age, source, etc., due to the organization's modern notoriety
1870–75; < It < Sicilian: orig., elegance, bravura, courage; of obscure orig.; the word's history prior to the 19th century is unknown, though many fictitious ideas have circulated regarding its age, source, etc., due to the organization's modern notoriety
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To mafia
| Ma·fi·a (mä'fē-ə) n.
[Italian, perhaps from dialectal mafia, bluster, boldness.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Mafia [(mah-fee-uh)]
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.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
mafia
1875, from It. Mafia "Sicilian secret society of criminals" (the prevailing sense outside Sicily), earlier, "spirit of hostility to the law and its ministers," from It. (Sicilian) mafia "boldness, bravado," probably from Ar. mahjas "aggressive, boasting, bragging." Or perhaps from O.Fr. mafler "to gluttonize, devour."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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