| / English Dictionary |
MAFIA
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Any tightly knit group of trusted associates
Synonyms:
maffia; mafia
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("mafia" is a kind of...):
camp; clique; coterie; ingroup; inner circle; pack (an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose)
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A secret terrorist group in Sicily; originally opposed tyranny but evolved into a criminal organization in the middle of the 19th century
Synonyms:
Maffia; Mafia; Sicilian Mafia
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("Mafia" is a kind of...):
gangdom; gangland; organized crime (underworld organizations)
Meronyms (members of "Mafia"):
mafioso (a member of the Sicilian Mafia)
Domain category:
act of terrorism; terrorism; terrorist act (the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A crime syndicate in the United States; organized in families; believed to have important relations to the Sicilian Mafia
Synonyms:
Cosa Nostra; Maffia; Mafia
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("Mafia" is a kind of...):
crime syndicate; family; mob; syndicate (a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities)
Meronyms (members of "Mafia"):
mafioso (a member of the Mafia crime syndicate in the United States)
Domain member category:
omerta (a code of silence practiced by the Mafia; a refusal to give evidence to the police about criminal activities)
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