LexBrew
Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·italian ·1870s

Mafia

from mafia

Meaning
Sicilian organised crime — etymology contested (possibly Sicilian for "boldness, bravado").
Source word
mafia
Route into English
Sicilian → Italian → English by 1870s as Italian unification produced a proper journalism.
Arrived
1870s

English borrows.

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