a crime syndicate in the United States; organized in families; believed to have important relations to the Sicilian Mafia

[ Syn: mafia , maffia , cosa nostra ]

a secret terrorist group in Sicily; originally opposed tyranny but evolved into a criminal organization in the middle of the 19th century

[ Syn: mafia , maffia , sicilian mafia ]

any tightly knit group of trusted associates

[ Syn: maffia ]