Mafia

n 1: a crime syndicate in the United States; organized in

families; believed to have important relations to the

Sicilian Mafia [syn: {Mafia}, {Maffia}, {Cosa Nostra}]

2: a secret terrorist group in Sicily; originally opposed

tyranny but evolved into a criminal organization in the

middle of the 19th century [syn: {Mafia}, {Maffia}, {Sicilian

Mafia}]

3: (informal) any tightly knit group of trusted associates

[syn: {maffia}]