maffia

Variant of Mafia

Mafia definition

Ma·fia (mä′fē ə)

noun

  1. in Sicily,
    1. an attitude of popular hostility to law and government
    2. a secret society characterized by this attitude
    1. in the U.S. and elsewhere, a secret society, of Italian origin, engaged in such illegal activities as gambling, prostitution, and illicit trade in narcotics
    2. any group engaged in such activities the Russian mafia
  3. any exclusive or dominating group

Etymology: Sicilian

Also Maffia Maf′·fia

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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