Mafia
/ˈmæfɪə/noun
(the Mafia)［treated as sing. or pl.］
1- an organized international body of criminals, operating originally in Sicily and now especially in Italy and the US and having a complex and ruthless behavioural code黑手党（有组织的国际犯罪集团, 原在意大利西西里活动, 现多在意大利和美国活动, 定有复杂而严酷的帮规）。
1.1
- （一般作mafia）any similar group using extortion and other criminal methods（使用敲诈等犯罪方法的）黑手党式犯罪组织。
1.2
- （一般作mafia）a group that is regarded as exerting a hidden sinister influence（被认为能施加危险的潜在影响的）秘密社团, 无形集团：
the British literary mafia.
英国文学秘密社团。
词源
Italian (Sicilian dialect), originally in the sense 'bragging'.