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The Sicilian Mafia, also known as ''Cosa Nostra'' ("Our Thing"), is a criminal syndicate in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct. Each group, known as a "family", "clan", or "''cosca''", claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village or a neighbourhood (''borgata'') of a larger city, in which it operates its rackets. Its members call themselves "men of honour", although the public often refers to them as "mafiosi". The Mafia's core activities are protection racketeering, the arbitration of disputes between criminals, and the organizing and oversight of illegal agreements and transactions. Following waves of emigration, the Mafia has spread to other countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. ==Etymology== The word "mafia" originated in Sicily, though its origins are uncertain. The Sicilian adjective ''mafiusu'' (in Italian: ''mafioso''), roughly translated, means "swagger," but can also be translated as "boldness, bravado". In reference to a man, ''mafiusu'' in 19th century Sicily was ambiguous, signifying a bully, arrogant but also fearless, enterprising, and proud, according to scholar Diego Gambetta.〔This etymology is based on the books ''Mafioso'' by Gaia Servadio; ''The Sicilian Mafia'' by Diego Gambetta; and ''Cosa Nostra'' by John Dickie (see Books below).〕 In reference to a woman, however, the feminine-form adjective "mafiusa" means beautiful and attractive. The Sicilian word ''mafie'' refers to the caves near Trapani and Marsala, which were often used as hiding places for refugees and criminals. Sicily was once an Islamic emirate, therefore "mafia" might have Arabic roots. Possible Arabic roots of the word include: *''mahyas'' (مهياص) = aggressive boasting, bragging *''marfud'' (مرفوض) = rejected * ''mu'afa'' = safety, protection〔Gambetta, ''The Sicilian Mafia''. pp. 259-261.〕 * ''Ma àfir'' = the name of an Arab tribe that ruled Palermo The public's association of the word with the criminal secret society was perhaps inspired by the 1863 play ''"I mafiusi di la Vicaria"'' ("The Mafiosi of the Vicaria") by Giuseppe Rizzotto and Gaetano Mosca. The words ''Mafia'' and ''mafiusi'' are never mentioned in the play; they were probably put in the title to add a local flair. The play is about a Palermo prison gang with traits similar to the Mafia: a boss, an initiation ritual, and talk of ''"umirtà"'' (omertà or code of silence) and ''"pizzu"'' (a codeword for extortion money).〔Gambetta, ''The Sicilian Mafia'', p. 136.〕 The play had great success throughout Italy. Soon after, the use of the term "mafia" began appearing in the Italian state's early reports on the phenomenon. The word made its first official appearance in 1865 in a report by the prefect of Palermo, Filippo Antonio Gualterio.〔Lupo, ''(The History of the Mafia )'', p. 3.〕 The term "mafia" has become a generic term for any organized criminal network with similar structure, methods, and interests. Giovanni Falcone, the anti-Mafia judge murdered by the Mafia in 1992, however, objected to the conflation of the term "Mafia" with organized crime in general: 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sicilian Mafia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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