mafia

See also: Mafia and máfia

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(key): /ˈmɑfi.ə/
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈmæfi.ə/

Noun

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.
    the digital mafia
    the literary mafia

Translations

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English mafia.

Noun

mafia c (singular definite mafiaen, plural indefinite mafiaer)

  1. A mafia.

Inflection

Derived terms

Finnish

Noun

mafia

  1. mafia

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

Noun

mafia f (plural mafias)

  1. The Mafia

Further reading

Italian

Etymology

Most likely from Arabic مَاجَاس‎ (mājās, “bragging, boasting, aggressive”)[1], though French mafler (“to devour, gluttonize”) is considered another possible source.

Noun

mafia f (plural mafie)

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

Derived terms

Descendants

References

  1. ↑ Shanty, Mishra, Organized Crime: From Trafficking to Terrorism, Volume 1

Spanish

Etymology

From Italian

Noun

mafia f (plural mafias)

  1. Mafia (Italian Mafia)
  2. Mafia (any criminal organisation)

Synonyms

  • (criminal organisation): cartel
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.