omerta

o·mer·ta  (-mûrt, mr-tä)

n.

A rule or code that prohibits speaking or divulging information about certain activities, especially the activities of a criminal organization.

---

[Italian omertà, perhaps from dialectal alteration of umiltà, humility, modesty, from Latin humilits; see humility.]

---

omerta - The code of silence in the Mafia, from the Italian word for "humility."

See also related terms for silence.

Thesaurus

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