mafia

Meaning

Noun

• A hierarchically structured secret organisation engaged in illegal activities like distribution of narcotics, gambling and extortion.
• A crime syndicate.
• A trusted group of associates, as of a political leader.
• An entity which attempts to control a specified arena.

Origin

• See Mafia. The sense "entity which attempts to control a specified arena" makes an analogy to crime-syndicate mafias' attempts to control certain kinds of business in the regions in which they exist.