[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

organized crime \organized crime\ n.
   groups of persons organized for illegal purposes, such as
   bootlegging, conducting illegal gambling, loansharking,
   extortion, etc.; -- a general term encompassing most forms of
   criminal groups, but especially those that are consolidated
   into "families" more or less recognizing each other's
   different regions of operation; sometimes considered
   synonymous with the mafia or the syndicate.
   pjc
see also:
mafia syndicate 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

maffia \maf"fia\, mafia \ma"fia\, n. it. maffia.
   1. a secret society which organized in sicily as a political
      organization, but is now widespread among italians, and is
      used to further or protect private interests, reputedly by
      illegal methods; called also the sicilian mafia.
      wordnet sense 2
      webster 1913 suppl.

   2. a group of loosely associated of criminal organizations in
      the united states, some having ties to the sicilian mafia,
      and organized in "families"; the term is applied to the
      entire group of organizations, or to any one local group.
      also, loosely, organized groups of criminals anywhere, as
      the russian mafia. wordnet sense 1

   syn: syndicate, mob, cosa nostra, la cosa nostra, organized
        crime.
        wordnet 1.6 + pjc

   3. any tightly knit group of trusted associates having strong
      control or influence in some area; as, kennedy and his
      irish mafia. informal wordnet sense 3
      pjc
see also:
sicilian mafia 

[3] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

mafia \maf"ia\, mafioso \ma`fio"so\, n.
   see maffia, maffioso.
   webster 1913 suppl.
see also:
maffia maffioso 

[4] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

syndicate \syn"dicate\, n. cf. f. syndicat, ll. syndicatus.
   1. the office or jurisdiction of a syndic; a council, or body
      of syndics. --bp. burnet.
      1913 webster

   2. an association of persons officially authorized to
      undertake some duty or to negotiate some business; also,
      an association of persons who combine to carry out, on
      their own account, a financial or industrial project; as,
      a syndicate of bankers formed to take up and dispose of an
      entire issue of government bonds.
      1913 webster

   3. a more or less organized association of criminals
      controlling some aspects of criminal activity, in a
      specific area or country-wide; -- used loosely as a
      synonym for organized crime or the mafia.
      pjc

   4. journalism a commercial organization that purchases
      various journalistic items, such as articles, columns, or
      comic strips, from their individual creators, and resells
      them to newspapers or other periodicals for simultaneous
      publication over a wide area.
      pjc
see also:
organized crime mafia 

[5] : WordNet (r) 2.0

mafia
     n 1: a crime syndicate in the united states; organized in
          families; believed to have important relations to the
          sicilian mafia syn: 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: maffia, sicilian mafia
     3: any tightly knit group of trusted associates syn: maffia
see also:
maffia cosa nostra sicilian mafia maffia 

[6] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

28 moby thesaurus words for "mafia":
   black hand, cosa nostra, black market, bootlegging, gambling,
   gangdom, gangland, gray market, illegal commerce,
   illegal operations, illegitimate business, illicit business,
   loan-sharking, moonshining, narcotics traffic, organized crime,
   prostitution, protection racket, racket, shady dealings, the mafia,
   the mob, the rackets, the syndicate, the underworld,
   traffic in women, usury, white slavery

Mafia >> M Words
Mafia, definition of term: Mafia
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