omerta
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o·mer·ta
(ō-mûr′tə, ō′mĕr-tä′)n.
A rule or code that prohibits speaking or divulging information about certain activities, especially the activities of a criminal organization.
[Italian omertà, probably from alteration (influenced by Sicilian omu, man) of Spanish hombredad, manliness, from Spanish hombre, man; see ombre.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
omertà
(omerˈta)n
a conspiracy of silence
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
omerta
- The code of silence in the Mafia, from the Italian word for "humility."See also related terms for silence.
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Noun | 1. | omerta - a code of silence practiced by the Mafia; a refusal to give evidence to the police about criminal activities code, codification - a set of rules or principles or laws (especially written ones) Cosa Nostra, Maffia, Mafia - a crime syndicate in the United States; organized in families; believed to have important relations to the Sicilian Mafia |
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