Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
-
- [mah-fee-uh, maf-ee-uh]
- /ˈmɑ fi ə, ˈmæf i ə/
- /ˈmæf.i.ə/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [mah-fee-uh, maf-ee-uh]
- /ˈmɑ fi ə, ˈmæf i ə/
Definitions of mafia word
- noun mafia a hierarchically structured secret organization allegedly engaged in smuggling, racketeering, trafficking in narcotics, and other criminal activities in the U.S., Italy, and elsewhere. 1
- noun mafia (lowercase) a popular spirit of hostility to legal restraint and to the law, often manifesting itself in criminal acts. a 19th-century secret society, similar to the Camorra in Naples, that acted in this spirit. 1
- noun mafia (often lowercase) any small powerful or influential group in an organization or field; clique. 1
- noun mafia A crime syndicate. 1
- noun mafia powerful elite group 1
- countable noun mafia The Mafia is a criminal organization that makes money illegally, especially by threatening people and dealing in drugs. 0
Information block about the term
Origin of mafia
First appearance:
before 1870 One of the 26% newest English words
1870-75; < Italian < Sicilian: orig., elegance, bravura, courage; of obscure origin; the word's history prior to the 19th century is unknown, though many fictitious ideas have circulated regarding its age, source, etc., due to the organization's modern notoriety
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Mafia
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
mafia popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 93% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
mafia usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for mafia
noun mafia
- underworld — the criminal element of human society.
- family — the children of one person or one couple collectively: We want a large family.
- cosa nostra — the branch of the Mafia that operates in the US
- mafioso — a member of a Mafia or of a mafia.
- clique — If you describe a group of people as a clique, you mean that they spend a lot of time together and seem unfriendly towards people who are not in the group.
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