====== 'Mafia' etymology ======

The origin of the word //'Mafia'// , and its derivative(s) //'Mafioso' //etc. are disputed.

[[https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=mafia|Etymology-online ]]says :

>The immediate source of //mafioso//, then, would be 19c. Sicilian //mafiusu//, "signifying a bully, arrogant but also fearless, enterprising, and proud" [Gambetta], who favors as the Arabic source an adjective from //marfud //"rejected."

Whereas, the 2009 book [[https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/john-follain-20/the-last-godfathers/9781848942493/|The Last Godfathers]], John Follain, Hodder & Stoughton, states : 

>Even the origin of the word 'mafia' remains obscure. Some believe its roots lie in the Arab domination of Sicily from 827 to 1061 and the Arabic word //mahias// (daring) or //Ma àfir// (the name of a Saracen tribe).