Mafia, Maffia, Cosa Nostra(noun)

a crime syndicate in the United States; organized in families; believed to have important relations to the Sicilian Mafia

Mafia, Maffia, Sicilian Mafia(noun)

a secret terrorist group in Sicily; originally opposed tyranny but evolved into a criminal organization in the middle of the 19th century

mafia, maffia(noun)

any tightly knit group of trusted associates

Maffia(ProperNoun)

A less common spelling of Mafia.

Maffia

a Sicilian secret society which aims at boycotting the law-courts, superseding the law, and ruling the island; its chief weapon is the boycott; violence is only resorted to for vengeance; funds are raised by blackmail; popular support enables it to control elections, avoid legal proceedings, and influence industrial questions. The Italian government try in vain to put it down.