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.
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.
- the digital mafia
- the literary mafia
Translations
a crime syndicate
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Danish
Inflection
Declension of mafia
common gender |
Singular | Plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | mafia | mafiaen | mafiaer | mafiaerne |
genitive | mafias | mafiaens | mafiaers | mafiaernes |
Finnish
Declension
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 mafiainrare | |
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 | |
instructive | — | mafioin | |
abessive | mafiatta | mafioitta | |
comitative | — | mafioineen |
French
Further reading
- “mafia” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Italian
Etymology
From Sicilian, of uncertain origin.[1] Most likely from Arabic مَاجَاس (mājās, “bragging, boasting, aggressive”)[2], though French mafler (“to devour, gluttonize”) is considered another possible source.
Noun
mafia f (plural mafie)
Derived terms
Descendants
- → German: Mafia
References
- mafia in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
- Shanty, Mishra, Organized Crime: From Trafficking to Terrorism, Volume 1
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