cosca

Forms

cosca f (plural cosche)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Sicilian cosca (“rib of a leaf; mafia clan”).^[2][3][4][1] Nocentini derives the Sicilian word from Late Latin costula (“rib”) through an intermediate *coscla, the diminutive of costa (“rib”), and Treccani and Devoto–Oli also trace it to costula.^[3][5][6] Wiktionary takes it as a dialect variant of costa and calls it a doublet of costola.^[1]

DELI, after the VES, starts from the Sicilian word's use for plants with tight, crowded leaves, such as the artichoke, the onion and the cabbage.^[2] Nocentini runs from the rib of a leaf to a bunch or a string of dried figs and then to a band of followers.^[3] Devoto–Oli think of a phrase meaning “to be of the rib”, that is, to belong to the family.^[6] GRADIT calls the word of unknown origin, and Sabatini–Coletti and Gabrielli of uncertain origin.^[7][8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Sicilian cosca is recorded in 1751 for the rib of a leaf, then for peel, and in 1868 for an association of criminals, a sense found across southern Italy.^[2] Nocentini dates the Italian word to 1868;^[3][2] DELI's first Italian record is in G. Mosca in 1900, for a group of mafiosi.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The word moved from the leaves of a plant to the people around one leader: Nocentini's intermediate senses are a bunch and a string of dried figs, before a following or clique.^[3] Sciascia explains it to his readers: cosca, gli avevano spiegato, è la fitta corona di foglie del carciofo “a cosca, they had told him, is the tight crown of leaves of the artichoke”.^[5][10]

In modern Italian it names each mafia group that controls a territory under a boss, and by extension any criminal gang or a clique of power.^[5][8][11]

Timeline

• 1751 – Sicilian cosca is recorded for the rib of a leaf.^[2]
• 1868 – The sense “association of criminals” is recorded.^[2][3]
• 1900 – G. Mosca uses cosca in Italian for a group of mafiosi.^[2][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A Mafia clan: an organised group of mafiosi in Sicily, tied to one person or family and controlling an area.^[7][6][5]
2. (by extension) A criminal gang; also a clique or inner circle holding power: la faida tra le cosche.^{[7][8][11][1]}

Related words

• costola
• costa

Usage notes

Wiktionary also lists cosca as an obsolete form of costa “rib”.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c d e f g Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
6. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
8. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
9. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
10. ^ Cortelazzo, Manlio; Marcato, Carla (1998), I dialetti italiani: dizionario etimologico, Torino: UTET
11. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana