# mafia
## English
### Etymology

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

* (US) IPA: /ˈmɑfi.ə/
* (UK) IPA: /ˈmæfi.ə/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)

### Noun

mafia (plural mafias)
* A hierarchically structured secret organisation engaged in illegal activities like distribution of narcotics, gambling and extortion.
* A crime syndicate.
* A trusted group of associates, as of a political leader.
* (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

* alphabet mafia
* mafia hypothesis
* mafia state
* nonmafia
* rainbow mafia

#### Translations
## Danish
### Etymology

Borrowed from English mafia.

### Noun

mafia c (singular definite mafiaen, plural indefinite mafiaer)
* A mafia.

#### Derived terms

* mafiafamilie

## Finnish
### Etymology

From Italian mafia.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmɑfiɑ/, [ˈmɑ̝fiɑ̝]
* Rhymes: -ɑfiɑ
* Hyphenation: ma‧fia

### Noun

mafia
* mafia

#### Declension

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
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
mafiansa
mafiansa
accusative
nom.
mafiansa
mafiansa
gen.
mafiansa
genitive
mafiansa
mafioidensa mafioittensa mafiainsa $^{rare}$
partitive
mafiaansa
mafioitaan mafioitansa
inessive
mafiassaan mafiassansa
mafioissaan mafioissansa
elative
mafiastaan mafiastansa
mafioistaan mafioistansa
illative
mafiaansa
mafioihinsa
adessive
mafiallaan mafiallansa
mafioillaan mafioillansa
ablative
mafialtaan mafialtansa
mafioiltaan mafioiltansa
allative
mafialleen mafiallensa
mafioilleen mafioillensa
essive
mafianaan mafianansa
mafioinaan mafioinansa
translative
mafiakseen mafiaksensa
mafioikseen mafioiksensa
abessive
mafiattaan mafiattansa
mafioittaan mafioittansa
instructive
comitative
—mafioineen mafioinensa :

### Further reading

* “mafia”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

## French
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ma.fja/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

mafia f (plural mafias)
* the Mafia

### Further reading

* “mafia”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Galician
### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian mafia.

### Noun

mafia f (plural mafias)
* Mafia (Italian Mafia)
* Mafia (any criminal organisation)
    Synonym: cartel

#### Derived terms

* mafioso

## Italian
### Alternative forms

* maffia (obsolete)

### Etymology

Uncertain. Maybe from Arabic مَهْيَاص (mahyāṣ, “cocky, bragger”) (compare Hebrew מָחַץ (“makháts”) to crush, though Piedmontese mafio is considered another possible source. Compare Sicilian mafia for more.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈma.fja/
* Rhymes: -afja
* Hyphenation: mà‧fia

### Noun

mafia f (plural mafie)
* the Mafia (International organized crime organization)
* mafia (Individual branch)
* arrogance

#### Derived terms

* mafioso
* mafiologo
* mafiosità

#### Descendants

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

### References

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

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Alternative forms

* (non-standard since 1987) maffia

### Noun

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

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Alternative forms

* (non-standard since 1987) maffia

### Noun

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

## Polish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian mafia, from Sicilian.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈma.fja/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -afja
* Syllabification: ma‧fia

### Noun

mafia f
* mafia (crime syndicate)
    Synonym: ośmiornica
* mafia (trusted group of associates, as of a political leader)

#### Derived terms

* mafijny

#### Related terms

* mafijnie
* mafijność
* mafioso

### Further reading

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

## Sicilian
### Alternative forms

* màfia (trisyllabic spelling)

### Etymology

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

* IPA: /ˈma.fja/ (synaeretic)
* IPA: /ˈma.fɪ.a/ (diaeretic)
* Hyphenation: mà‧fia

### Noun

mafia f (plural mafi)
* the Mafia (International organized crime organization)
* a mafia (an individual branch)
* arrogance

#### Usage notes

* 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

* carusa mafiusa
* fìmmina mafiusa
* mafiusa
* mafiusità
* mafiusu
* urganizzazziuni mafiusa

#### Related terms

* cosca
* cumannanti
* cumarca
* famigghia
* guappu
* pizzinu
* pizzu
* spacchiusu
* vappu

#### Descendants

* →? Italian: mafia

#### See also

* Camorra
* Cosa Nostra
* Ntràgnita
* Ntrànghita
* Stiḍḍa
* Yakuza

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian mafia.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmafja/ [ˈma.fja]
* Rhymes: -afja
* Syllabification: ma‧fia

### Noun

mafia f (plural mafias)
* Mafia (Italian Mafia)
* Mafia (any criminal organization)
    Synonym: cartel

#### Derived terms

* antimafia
* mafioso

### Further reading

* “mafia”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10