where does the word mafia come from and what does it mean?

Answer 1

Origin of the term

The word 'mafia' derives form of old Sicilian adjective "mafiusu" which has its roots in the Arabic mahjas, meaning "aggressive boasting, bragging". Roughly translated it means "swagger", but can also be translated as "boldness, bravado". In reference to a man, "mafiusu" in nineteenth-century Sicily was ambiguous, signifying a bully, arrogant but also fearless, enterprising, and proud, according to scholar Diego Gambetta.[1]

The connotation of the word with the criminal secret society was made by the 1863 play I mafiusu di la Vicaria 'The Beautiful (people) of Vicaria' by Giuseppe Rizzotto and Gaetano Mosca which is about criminal gangs in the Palermo prison. The words mafia or mafiusu are never mentioned in the play, and were probably put in the title because it would add local flair.

The association between "mafiusu" and criminal gangs was made by the association the play's title made with the criminal gangs that was new to Sicilian and Italian society at the time. Consequently, the word mafia was generated from fictional source loosely inspired by the real thing and was used by outsiders to describe it. The use of the term mafia was subsequently taken over in the Italian state's early reports on the phenomenon. The word "mafia" made its first official appearance in 1865 in a report by the then prefect of Palermo, the marquis Filippo Antonio Gualterio.

Leopoldo Franchetti, an Italian deputy who travelled to Sicily and who wrote one of the first authoritative reports on the mafia in 1876, described the designation of the term mafia: "the term mafia found a class of violent criminals ready and waiting for a name to define them, and, given their special character and importance in Sicilian society, they had the right to a different name from that defining vulgar criminals in other countries".

Some observers have seen "mafia" as a set of positive attributes deeply rooted in popular culture, as a "way of being", as illustrated in the definition by the Sicilian ethnographer, Giuseppe Pitrè, at the end of the 19th century: "Mafia is the consciousness of one's own worth, the exaggerated concept of individual force as the sole arbiter of every conflict, of every clash of interests or ideas." [2]

Many Sicilians did not regard these men as criminals but as role models and protectors, given that the state appeared to offer no protection of the poor and weak. As late as the 1950s, the funeral epitaph of the legendary boss of Villalba, Calogero Vizzini, stated that "his 'mafia' was not criminal, but stood for respect of the law, defense of all rights, greatness of character. It was love." Here, "mafia" means something like pride, honor, even social responsibility; an attitude, not an organization. Likewise, in 1925, the former Italian prime minister Vittorio Emanuele Orlando stated in the Italian senate that he was proud of being "mafioso", because that word meant honorable, noble, generous.

"Cosa Nostra"

According to some mafiosi, the real name of the Mafia is Cosa Nostra, meaning 'our world, tradition, values'. Many have claimed, as did the Mafia turncoat Tommaso Buscetta, that the word mafia was a literary creation. Other Mafia defectors, such as Antonio Calderone and Salvatore Contorno, said the same thing. According to them, the real thing was "cosa nostra". To men of honour belonging to the organisation, there is no need to name it. Mafiosi introduce known members to other known members as belonging to "cosa nostra" (our thing) or "la stessa cosa" (the same thing). Only the outside world needs a name to describe it, hence the capitalized version of the words: Cosa Nostra.

Cosa Nostra was first used, in the beginning of the 1960s, in the United States by Joseph Valachi, a mafioso turned state witness, during the hearings of the McClellan Commission. At the time, it was understood as a proper name, fostered by the FBI and disseminated by the media. The designation gained wide popularity and almost replaced the term Mafia. The FBI even added an article to the term, calling it 'La Cosa Nostra'. In Italy the article 'la' is never used when the term refers to the Mafia; commonly "la nostra cosa" is used when meaning "our thing" in general contexts (the inverted ordering of the words in "Cosa Nostra" is due to dialectal influences).


Rituals

The orientation ritual in most families happens when a man becomes an associate, and then, a soldier. As described by Tommaso Buscetta to judge Giovanni Falcone, the neophyte is brought together with at least three "men of honor" of the family and the oldest member present warns him that "this House" is meant to protect the weak against the abuse of the powerful; he then pricks the finger of the initiate and spills his blood onto a sacred image. The image is placed in the hand of the initiate and lit on fire. The neophyte must withstand the pain of the burning, passing the image from hand to hand, until the image has been consumed, while swearing to keep faith with the principles of "Cosa Nostra," solemnly swearing that "may my flesh burn like this saint if I fail to keep my oath."[3]

Answer 2

The word mafia originates from the Italian word Mafiusu meaning 'overtly proud' or 'boastful'. A man who recently became a father would be considered a mafiusu. The word Mafia is an English word created in America just after the US Civil War. Italians who immigrated to the United States to fill labor positions created a Padrone System, the word 'padrone' is also an Italian word meaning father-like or the one in charge. This system was based on the Boss System which other immigrant groups had used previously. These systems were created for one person who was familiar with the immigrants, the labor positions, to make arrangements for needs such as travel, pay, housing, and was able to translate these matters. This made the padrone an extremely important individual for those immigrants who made the voyage overseas. This dependence on the padrone created resentment among the immigrants, who often would ridicule or mock these individuals if they did not receive the expected work, pay, or other resources they had expected. Here is where the Italian word mafiusu was Americanized to mafia, changing from a positive connotation to a negative one. Overtime these padrone's would become known as Mafia bosses and the padrone systems would become known as organized crime syndicates.

Answer 3

Mafia Definition

Answer 4

Define Mafia

Answer 5

The Mafia, also referred to as La Cosa Nostra (Italian, variously translated as This Thing Of Ours or Our Thing), is the collective name of various secret organizations in Italy, Sicily, Corsica and the United States. The Mafia was originally the name of a loose confederation of people in Sicily, who, in the middle ages, joined for the purposes of protection from the Turks and Normans currently occupying the area. Soon the group turned to vigilante law enforcement. ...

Answer 6

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

The word 'mafia' derives form of old Sicilian adjective "mafiusu" which has its roots in the Arabic mahjas, meaning "aggressive boasting, bragging". Roughly translated it means "swagger", but can also be translated as "boldness, bravado". In reference to a man, "mafiusu" in nineteenth-century Sicily was ambiguous, signifying a bully, arrogant but also fearless, enterprising, and proud, according to scholar Diego Gambetta or

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

Any tightly knit group of trusted associates or

Mafia, whether in the United States or in Sicily, has always been very defined. Just like its code of ethics and honor, the structure of the Mafia families is a time-honored tradition, and is respected and venerated by its members.

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Answer 7

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RE:
where does the word mafia come from and what does it mean?

Answer 8

Its from the itlaian word from mafia which mean by force you will do to aceive results.

Answer 9

It comes from the Arabic word معفية (Maafia) which means exempt and that's because the Sicilians were exempt from paying taxes when their fleets were passing by the Mediterranean Sea which once was ruled by the Algerian Corsary pirates. It makes sense because at that time a lot of Muslims were living in Sicily which was a emirate of the Islamic state.

Answer 10

The Mafia, also referred to in "True Lords" Italian as Cosa Nostra ("Our Thing" or "This Thing of Ours"), is a secret society formed in the mid-19th century in Sicily. An offshoot emerged on the East Coast of the United States during the late 19th century following waves of Italian immigration to that country.

Answer 11

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