caporegime

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian.

Noun

caporegime (plural caporegimes)

1. A high-ranking member of a crime family in the Mafia who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has significant social status and influence in the organization.
   • 1969, Mario Puzo, The Godfather, page 104:

     And so usually a trusted caporegime would be sent out to rent a secret apartment and fill it with mattresses. That apartment would be used as a sally port into the city when an offensive was mounted.

Synonyms

• capo