mafia

UK: 'Mafia', 'mafia': /ˈmæfiə/

US: /ˈmɑfiə, ˈmæfiə/

US: (mä′fē ə, maf′ē ə)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

Ma•fi•a /ˈmɑfiə, ˈmæfiə/   n. 

1. World History [countable* usually: the + ~] a secret criminal organization originating in Sicily.
2. World History any powerful, secret group:
   [mafia* countable] the union mafia.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

Ma•fi•a  (mä′fē ə, maf′ē ə), n. 

1. World History a hierarchically structured secret organization allegedly engaged in smuggling, racketeering, trafficking in narcotics, and other criminal activities in the U.S., Italy, and elsewhere.
2. World History (in Sicily)
   • (l.c.) 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.
3. World History (often l.c.) any small powerful or influential group in an organization or field;
   clique.

Also, Maf′fi•a. 

• Sicilian: origin, originally, elegance, bravura, courage; of obscure origin, originally; 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
• Italian
• 1870–75

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Mafia, Maffia / ˈmæfɪə/ noun

1. the Mafia ⇒ an international secret organization founded in Sicily, probably in opposition to tyranny. It developed into a criminal organization and in the late 19th century was carried to the US by Italian immigrants
2. any group considered to resemble the Mafia
   See also Cosa Nostra

Etymology: 19th Century: from Sicilian dialect of Italian, literally hostility to the law, boldness, perhaps from Arabic mahyah bragging