capo

capo, gang boss

noun kah-PO Rare

Origin: Italian 'capo' (head, chief)

Usage Note

Capo is borrowed from Italian and used in French to refer to a crime boss or mafia leader, as well as more loosely to any powerful ringleader. It is also used in the context of prisoner hierarchies (capo in prison slang). The word is masculine and typically invariable in the plural.

Examples

"Le capo de la mafia a été arrêté hier soir."

Natural Translation

The mafia boss was arrested last night.

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