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maffia
CIDE DICTIONARY
maffia, n. [It. maffia.].
- A secret society which organized in Sicily as a political organization, but is now widespread among Italians, and is used to further or protect private interests, reputedly by illegal methods; called also the
Sicilian Mafia . [Webster 1913 Suppl.] - A group of loosely associated of criminal organizations in the United States, some having ties to the Sicilian Mafia, and organized in “families”; the term is applied to the entire group of organizations, or to any one local group. Also, loosely, organized groups of criminals anywhere, as the Russian mafia. [WordNet 1.6]
- Any tightly knit group of trusted associates having strong control or influence in some area; as, Kennedy and his Irish Mafia. [PJC]
For further exploring for "maffia" in Webster Dictionary Online
