mafia English · revision 1185

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈmæfi.ə/ ''(UK)''; /ˈmɑfi.ə/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|it|Mafia]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) from Sicilian ''mafia'' “boldness, bravado”^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(RHWU) of obscure origin.^(RHWU) Arabic is often cited as the source, but Etymonline notes there is no agreement on which word,^(Etymonline) and Barnhart suggests Arabic ''mahyas'' “aggressive boasting”.^(Barnhart 1995) Etymonline traces the criminal sense to ''mafioso'' (1870) and the 1863 play ''I Mafiusi della Vicaria'',^(Etymonline) and Random House warns that many fictitious stories about the word's age and source circulate.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In Sicily, the spirit of hostility to the law and its officers, and the secret society acting in that spirit (1875).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word was applied to criminal organizations in the U.S. and elsewhere,^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) and to any group controlling a particular illegal trade.^(MW Collegiate) By extension it also means a tight-knit or influential group of associates in some field, often written with a small letter.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1870 – ''mafioso''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1875 – the Sicilian secret society.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A secret criminal society of Sicily, active since the 19th century.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A similar criminal [[organization]] in the U.S. and elsewhere, engaged in [[racketeering]] and other crimes.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A small, powerful or close-knit group of associates in a particular field; a [[clique]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[mafioso]]

+ * [[Camorra]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}