Mafia

Origin

See Mafia. The sense "entity which attempts to control a specified arena" makes an analogy to crime-syndicate mafias' attempts to control certain kinds of business in the regions in which they exist.

Full definition of mafia

Noun

1. A crime syndicate.
2. A trusted group of associates, as of a political leader.
3. (in compound terms such as "moral mafia") An entity which attempts to control a specified arena.the digital mafiathe literary mafia