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mafia

mafia, organised crime gang

noun mah-FYA Less Common

Usage Note

Mafia is used both specifically for the Sicilian Mafia and generically for any organised criminal network. Informally, it can describe any closed group perceived as exerting corrupt influence (la mafia des diplômes). The word is borrowed from Italian and is invariable in gender (always feminine in French).

Examples

"La mafia contrôlait tout le quartier dans les années quatre-vingt."

Natural Translation

The mafia controlled the whole neighbourhood in the eighties.

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