Omerta

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A cultural practice that mandates silence regarding illegal activities and discourages collaboration with law enforcement agencies
2. A societal norm that promotes secrecy and discourages individuals from disclosing information to authorities or outsiders
3. A principle that enforces silence to protect illicit activities while preventing involvement with legal authorities or outsiders

Etymology: Omertà is the Italian word for the code of silence, the refusal to give information to the police or authorities, and it became known in English through its links to the Sicilian Mafia. The word's own origin is murkier than its reputation. Several explanations have been proposed, and the most colourful is the claim that it descends from the Latin "humilitas," meaning humility or submission, via a Sicilian form "umirtà." The idea is that the Mafia's demand for obedience to the leader was a kind of humble submission. The Oxford English Dictionary, however, considers this link poorly supported by where the word is actually used. Another suggestion connects it to the Spanish "hombredad," meaning manliness, from "hombre," man. This would fit the Sicilian pronunciation "omu" for man, but the sound changes it would require do not match what a Spanish borrowing into Sicilian would normally produce. Because of these problems, no origin can be stated with certainty, and the word is best treated as an Italian term of uncertain ancestry.