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mafia

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Mafia, máfia, màfia, and mafią

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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See Mafia. The sense "entity which attempts to control a specified arena" makes an analogy to crime-syndicate mafias' attempts to control certain kinds of business in the regions in which they exist.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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mafia (plural mafias)

  1. A hierarchically structured secret organisation engaged in illegal activities like distribution of narcotics, gambling and extortion.
  2. A crime syndicate.
  3. A trusted group of associates, as of a political leader.
  4. (in compound terms such as "moral mafia") An entity which attempts to control a specified arena by violence or threats.
    • 1994, Francis Wheen, Lord Gnome's Literary Companion, page 161:
      Worse, it confirms what one always suspected about the 1930s literary mafia, with their graceless posing and relentless self-obsession — what terrible , terrible bores they were.
    • 2000, Senator Robert Torricelli, Andrew Carroll, In Our Own Words: Extraordinary Speeches of the American Century, page 432:
      Since the victory of gadgetry is "inevitable," you might as well come along quietly and let us smother you in speed and convenience, says the digital mafia.
    • 2019, Anne Holt, In Dust and Ashes, page 83:
      I can scarcely leave the apartment without being engulfed by journalists, not to mention the fucking left-wing activists and the multicultural mafia that assailed me with spitting and verbal abuse the last time I ventured out []

Derived terms

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Translations

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Danish

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Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

Etymology

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Borrowed from English mafia.

Noun

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mafia c (singular definite mafiaen, plural indefinite mafiaer)

  1. A mafia.

Declension

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Derived terms

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Finnish

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Etymology

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From Italian mafia.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈmɑfiɑ/, [ˈmɑ̝fiɑ̝]
  • Rhymes: -ɑfiɑ
  • Hyphenation(key): ma‧fia

Noun

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mafia

  1. mafia

Declension

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Inflection of mafia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative mafia mafiat
genitive mafian mafioiden
mafioitten
partitive mafiaa mafioita
illative mafiaan mafioihin
singular plural
nominative mafia mafiat
accusative nom. mafia mafiat
gen. mafian
genitive mafian mafioiden
mafioitten
mafiain rare
partitive mafiaa mafioita
inessive mafiassa mafioissa
elative mafiasta mafioista
illative mafiaan mafioihin
adessive mafialla mafioilla
ablative mafialta mafioilta
allative mafialle mafioille
essive mafiana mafioina
translative mafiaksi mafioiksi
abessive mafiatta mafioitta
instructive mafioin
comitative See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of mafia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
first-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative mafiani mafiani
accusative nom. mafiani mafiani
gen. mafiani
genitive mafiani mafioideni
mafioitteni
mafiaini rare
partitive mafiaani mafioitani
inessive mafiassani mafioissani
elative mafiastani mafioistani
illative mafiaani mafioihini
adessive mafiallani mafioillani
ablative mafialtani mafioiltani
allative mafialleni mafioilleni
essive mafianani mafioinani
translative mafiakseni mafioikseni
abessive mafiattani mafioittani
instructive
comitative mafioineni
second-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative mafiasi mafiasi
accusative nom. mafiasi mafiasi
gen. mafiasi
genitive mafiasi mafioidesi
mafioittesi
mafiaisi rare
partitive mafiaasi mafioitasi
inessive mafiassasi mafioissasi
elative mafiastasi mafioistasi
illative mafiaasi mafioihisi
adessive mafiallasi mafioillasi
ablative mafialtasi mafioiltasi
allative mafiallesi mafioillesi
essive mafianasi mafioinasi
translative mafiaksesi mafioiksesi
abessive mafiattasi mafioittasi
instructive
comitative mafioinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative mafiamme mafiamme
accusative nom. mafiamme mafiamme
gen. mafiamme
genitive mafiamme mafioidemme
mafioittemme
mafiaimme rare
partitive mafiaamme mafioitamme
inessive mafiassamme mafioissamme
elative mafiastamme mafioistamme
illative mafiaamme mafioihimme
adessive mafiallamme mafioillamme
ablative mafialtamme mafioiltamme
allative mafiallemme mafioillemme
essive mafianamme mafioinamme
translative mafiaksemme mafioiksemme
abessive mafiattamme mafioittamme
instructive
comitative mafioinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative mafianne mafianne
accusative nom. mafianne mafianne
gen. mafianne
genitive mafianne mafioidenne
mafioittenne
mafiainne rare
partitive mafiaanne mafioitanne
inessive mafiassanne mafioissanne
elative mafiastanne mafioistanne
illative mafiaanne mafioihinne
adessive mafiallanne mafioillanne
ablative mafialtanne mafioiltanne
allative mafiallenne mafioillenne
essive mafiananne mafioinanne
translative mafiaksenne mafioiksenne
abessive mafiattanne mafioittanne
instructive
comitative mafioinenne

Further reading

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French

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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mafia f (plural mafias)

  1. the Mafia

Further reading

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Galician

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Italian mafia.

Noun

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mafia f (plural mafias)

  1. Mafia (Italian Mafia)
  2. Mafia (any criminal organisation)
    Synonym: cartel

Derived terms

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Italian

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Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Uncertain.[1] Maybe from Arabic مَهْيَاص (mahyāṣ, cocky, bragger)[2] (compare Hebrew מָחַץ (makháts) to crush, though Piedmontese mafio[3][4] is considered another possible source. Compare Sicilian mafia for more.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈma.fja/
  • Rhymes: -afja
  • Hyphenation: mà‧fia

Noun

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mafia f (plural mafie)

  1. the Mafia (International organized crime organization)
  2. mafia (Individual branch)
  3. arrogance

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • German: Mafia
  • Turkish: mafya
  • Maltese: mafja
  • Romanian: mafie
  • Russian: ма́фия (máfija)
  • Spanish: mafia

References

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  1. ^ mafia in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
  2. ^ Shanty, Mishra, Organized Crime: From Trafficking to Terrorism, Volume 1
  3. ^ Glossario etimologico piemontese, Torino 1888
  4. ^ https://www.linkiesta.it/2014/10/da-dove-viene-la-parola-mafia-la-crusca-risponde/

Norwegian Bokmål

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Alternative forms

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  • (non-standard since 1987) maffia

Noun

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mafia m (definite singular mafiaen, indefinite plural mafiaer, definite plural mafiaene)

  1. mafia, Mafia

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Alternative forms

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Noun

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mafia m (definite singular mafiaen, indefinite plural mafiaer or mafiaar, definite plural mafiaene or mafiaane)

  1. mafia, Mafia

Polish

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Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

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Borrowed from Italian mafia, from Sicilian.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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mafia f

  1. mafia (crime syndicate)
    Synonym: ośmiornica
  2. mafia (trusted group of associates, as of a political leader)

Declension

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Derived terms

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adjective
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adverb
nouns

Further reading

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  • mafia in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • mafia in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Sicilian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Uncertain. The first official sources in which this term appears date back to 1863 in the title of the theatrical work "I mafiusi de la Vicaria" set in the Vicaria prison in Palermo and written by Giuseppe Rizzotto and Gaetano Mosca. In 1865, in a report by the prefect of Palermo, Filippo Antonio Gualterio, this term was used for the first time, in its Italian geminated variant maffia, with the meaning of a criminal and subversive organization that brought together delinquents, pro-Mazzinians (i.e. republicans) and pro-Bourbons (i.e. anti-Savoyards) with the aim of overthrowing the newborn Kingdom of Italy. Outside of these official sources, the etymology in question is often associated with an uncertain Arabism or with various terms of various origins, including several dialectal origins from the rest of Italy, such as from Piedmont or from Tuscany. In any case, many of the hypotheses proposed are merely speculative and fail to resolve the main phono-morphological disagreements. In particular, it must be emphasized that this word may have been possibly used as an exonym referring to dissidents following the annexation of the island of Sicily, then acquiring the widespread meaning.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈma.fja/ (synaeretic)
  • IPA(key): /ˈma.fɪ.a/ (dieretic)
  • Hyphenation: mà‧fia

Noun

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mafia f (plural mafi)

  1. the Mafia (International organized crime organization)
  2. a mafia (an individual branch)
  3. arrogance

Usage notes

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  • Among the speakers it was not common to refer to mafia in public or political speaking
  • The use of the word often derived from an exchange with non-island people, so its main meaning is often borrowed

Derived terms

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Descendants

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See also

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Spanish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Italian mafia.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈmafja/ [ˈma.fja]
  • Rhymes: -afja
  • Syllabification: ma‧fia

Noun

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mafia f (plural mafias)

  1. Mafia (Italian Mafia)
  2. Mafia (any criminal organization)
    Synonym: cartel

Derived terms

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Further reading

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