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maffia
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Maffia

Maffia \Maf"fi*a\, Mafia \Ma"fi*a\, n. [It. maffia.]

  1. A secret society which organized in Sicily as a political organization, but is now widespread among Italians, and is used to further or protect private interests, reputedly by illegal methods; called also the Sicilian Mafia.

  2. A group of loosely associated of criminal organizations in the United States, some having ties to the Sicilian Mafia, and organized in ``families''; the term is applied to the entire group of organizations, or to any one local group. Also, loosely, organized groups of criminals anywhere, as the Russian mafia. [WordNet sense 1]

    Syn: syndicate, mob, Cosa Nostra, La Cosa Nostra, organized crime.

  3. Any tightly knit group of trusted associates having strong control or influence in some area; as, Kennedy and his Irish Mafia. [informal] [WordNet sense 3]

Wikipedia
Maffia

Maffia (Maffie or Mafie in Czech) was a secret organization acting during the Great War. It was founded after emigration of Thomas Masaryk in 1914 by Czech politician Edvard Beneš, who later became second president of Czechoslovakia, and others main anti-royalist ( Karel Kramář, Alois Rašín, Josef Scheiner and Přemysl Šámal). Maffia was based on the principles of Sicilian mafia (name "Maffia"), it was central part of the First Czechoslovak Resistance and its main objective was to overthrow the Emperor of Austria and the disintegration of his country. Maffia plot against Austria-Hungary and Central Powers was revealed by police in 1915, some members of Maffia (Karel Kramář, Alois Rašín, Vincent Červinka and Josef Zamazal) were arrested and sentenced to death (they were later amnestied by emperor Charles I.) and Edvard Beneš escaped from Austria-Hungary to Switzerland, but subversive activities of Maffia continued, under the leadership of Přemysl Šámal, until the end of the First World War. Maffia had over 200 members and it was supported from aboard (US, Italy etc.).

Category:Czech nationalism Category:1910s in Bohemia Category:Secret societies Category:World War I

Usage examples of "maffia".

He traced the route by which he could enter from the back gate on the Via Maffia without being seen, make his way through the gardens and corridors to the dead room.