mafia

Where does the word "mafia" come from? It comes from Sicilian mafia, and was adopted directly into English (1800s-1900s).

Mafia’s story begins in Sicilian: mafia meant “an organized criminal network.” Of disputed origin, associated with organized criminal networks in Sicily. It reached English by 1800s-1900s as mafia. The 1890 killing of New Orleans police chief David Hennessy brought the word into American newspapers. Today, mafia means an organized international criminal network, especially of Sicilian origin.

1. Stage 1 · Sicilian · 1800s mafia "an organized criminal network", of disputed origin, associated with organized criminal networks in Sicily.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s-1900s mafia "an organized crime syndicate", the 1890 killing of New Orleans police chief David Hennessy brought the word into American newspapers.