Cosa Nostra

[koh-zuh nohs-truh]

noun

a secret association engaged in organized crime in the U.S., modeled after and affiliated with the Mafia.

Origin of Cosa Nostra

1960–65; < Italian: literally, our affair

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for cosa nostra

Mafia, syndicate, mob, underworld, gangland

British Dictionary definitions for cosa nostra

Cosa Nostra

noun

the branch of the Mafia that operates in the US

Word Origin for Cosa Nostra

Italian, literally: our thing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cosa nostra

1963, "the Mafia in America," from Italian, literally "this thing of ours."