Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A rule or code that prohibits speaking or divulging information about certain activities, especially the activities of a criminal organization.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Alternative spelling of
omertà .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a code of silence practiced by the Mafia; a refusal to give evidence to the police about criminal activities
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word omerta.
Examples
-
Rarely, if ever, has a Vatican official used the word "omerta" - a serious accusation in Italian -- to compare the reluctance of some in the Church to come clean on the abuse scandal with the Mafia's code of silence.
Reuters: Top News 2012
-
Rarely, if ever, has a Vatican official used the word "omerta" - a serious accusation in Italian -- to compare the reluctance of some in the Church to come clean on the abuse scandal with the Mafia's code of silence.
Reuters: Top News 2012
-
Rarely, if ever, has a Vatican official used the word "omerta" - a serious accusation in Italian -- to compare the reluctance of some in the Church to come clean on the abuse scandal with the Mafia's code of silence.
-
He asked Mr Murdoch if he had heard of the mafia and then asked if he had heard the phrase 'omerta', the mafia code of silence.
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph Mark Hughes 2011
-
Tom Watson asked James Murdoch, who is facing the Commons Select Committee for the second time, whether he was familiar with the mafia term 'omerta' - commonly defined as a "code of silence".
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph Telegraph Staff 2011
-
But on Wednesday the Vatican's top official for dealing with sexual abuse of minors, Monsignor Charles Scicluna, said hiding behind a culture of "omerta" - the Italian word for the Mafia's code of silence - would be deadly for the Church.
-
Venitis Greek omerta is code of silence against the Greek people!
Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and incisive views 24/7 Ian James 2009
-
phone hacking, Tom Watson MP asked James Murdoch whether he was familiar with the mafia term 'omerta' - commonly defined as a "code of silence".
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph Telegraph Staff 2011
-
And in a final slap to the Italian detective, Mr. Lally noted that Pellicano's computer passwords always included the term "omerta" -- the Sicilian word for code of silence.
Allison Hope Weiner: The Pellicano Trial: The Detective's "Special Services" 2008
-
Another reason for the mafia's apparent decline is the death of "omerta" -- the code of silence.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.