Library / English Dictionary

    MAFIA

    Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

     I. (noun) 

    Sense 1

    Meaning:

    Any tightly knit group of trusted associatesplay

    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 centuryplay

    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 Mafiaplay

    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)

    Credits


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