An organized crime group or network of criminals who use violence and intimidation to control illegal activities.
From Sicilian Italian, possibly from an acronym 'morte alla Francia Italia anela' (death to France is Italy's cry), though this is disputed. Used to describe Sicilian criminal organizations, then generalized to any organized crime syndicate.
The word 'mafia' became so culturally powerful that we now call any organized corrupt group a 'mafia'—from 'academic mafia' to 'fashion mafia'—because it captures how tight-knit gatekeepers control access and exclude outsiders.
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