mafia
See also: Mafia, máfia, màfia, and mafią
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/
Audio (UK) (file)
Noun
mafia (plural mafias)
- A hierarchically structured secret organisation engaged in illegal activities like distribution of narcotics, gambling and extortion.
- A crime syndicate.
- A trusted group of associates, as of a political leader.
- (in compound terms such as "moral mafia") An entity which attempts to control a specified arena.
- 1994, Francis Wheen, Lord Gnome's Literary Companion (page 161)
- Worse, it confirms what one always suspected about the 1930s literary mafia, with their graceless posing and relentless self-obsession — what terrible , terrible bores they were.
- 2000, Senator Robert Torricelli, Andrew Carroll, In Our Own Words: Extraordinary Speeches of the American Century (page 432)
- Since the victory of gadgetry is "inevitable," you might as well come along quietly and let us smother you in speed and convenience, says the digital mafia.
- 2019, Anne Holt, In Dust and Ashes (page 83)
- I can scarcely leave the apartment without being engulfed by journalists, not to mention the fucking left-wing activists and the multicultural mafia that assailed me with spitting and verbal abuse the last time I ventured out […]
- 1994, Francis Wheen, Lord Gnome's Literary Companion (page 161)
Derived terms
- nonmafia
Translations
a crime syndicate
|
Danish
Etymology
Borrowed from English mafia.
Noun
mafia c (singular definite mafiaen, plural indefinite mafiaer)
- A mafia.
Declension
Declension of mafia
| common gender | Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | mafia | mafiaen | mafiaer | mafiaerne |
| genitive | mafias | mafiaens | mafiaers | mafiaernes |
Derived terms
- mafiafamilie
Finnish
Etymology
From Italian mafia.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmɑfiɑ/, [ˈmɑfiɑ]
- Rhymes: -ɑfiɑ
- Syllabification(key): ma‧fi‧a
Noun
mafia
- 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 | |
| Possessive forms of mafia (type kulkija) | ||
|---|---|---|
| possessor | singular | plural |
| 1st person | mafiani | mafiamme |
| 2nd person | mafiasi | mafianne |
| 3rd person | mafiansa | |
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ma.fja/
Audio (file)
Noun
mafia f (plural mafias)
- the Mafia
Further reading
- “mafia”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Galician
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian mafia.
Noun
mafia f (plural mafias)
- Mafia (Italian Mafia)
- Mafia (any criminal organisation)
Synonyms
- (criminal organisation): cartel
Derived terms
- mafioso
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from Sicilian, of uncertain origin.[1] Most likely from Arabic مَهْيَاص (mahyāṣ, “cocky, bragger”)[2], though French mafler (“to devour, gluttonize”) is considered another possible source.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈma.fja/
- Rhymes: -afja
- Hyphenation: mà‧fia
Noun
mafia f (plural mafie)
- the Mafia (International organized crime organization)
- mafia (Individual branch)
- arrogance
Derived terms
- mafioso
- mafiologo
- mafiosità
Descendants
- → German: Mafia
- → Turkish: mafya
- → Maltese: mafja
- → Romanian: mafie
- → Russian: ма́фия (máfija)
- → Spanish: mafia
References
- mafia in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
- Shanty, Mishra, Organized Crime: From Trafficking to Terrorism, Volume 1
Norwegian Bokmål
Alternative forms
- (non-standard since 1987) maffia
Noun
mafia m (definite singular mafiaen, indefinite plural mafiaer, definite plural mafiaene)
- mafia, Mafia
Norwegian Nynorsk
Alternative forms
- (non-standard since 1987) maffia
Noun
mafia m (definite singular mafiaen, indefinite plural mafiaer or mafiaar, definite plural mafiaene or mafiaane)
- mafia, Mafia
Polish
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian mafia, from Sicilian.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈma.fja/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -afja
- Syllabification: ma‧fia
Noun
mafia f
- mafia (crime syndicate)
- Synonym: ośmiornica
- mafia (trusted group of associates, as of a political leader)
Declension
Declension of mafia
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | mafia | mafie |
| genitive | mafii | mafii/mafij (archaic) |
| dative | mafii | mafiom |
| accusative | mafię | mafie |
| instrumental | mafią | mafiami |
| locative | mafii | mafiach |
| vocative | mafio | mafie |
Derived terms
adjective
- mafijny
Related terms
adverb
- mafijnie
nouns
- mafijność
- mafioso
Further reading
- mafia in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- mafia in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian mafia.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmafja/ [ˈma.fja]
- Rhymes: -afja
- Syllabification: ma‧fia
Noun
mafia f (plural mafias)
- Mafia (Italian Mafia)
- Mafia (any criminal organization)
- Synonym: cartel
Derived terms
- antimafia
- mafioso
Further reading
- “mafia”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014