yakuza

American

[yah-koo-zah] / ˈyɑ kʊˌzɑ /

noun

plural

yakuza

any of various tightly knit Japanese criminal organizations having a ritualistic, strict code of honor.
such organizations collectively.
a member of such an organization; gangster.

yakuza British

/ jəˈkuːzə /

noun

a Japanese criminal organization involved in illegal gambling, extortion, gun-running, etc
a member of this organization

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of yakuza

1960–65; < Japanese: racketeer, gambler, good-for-nothing, useless, from the name of a game in which the worst hand is of three cards marked ya eight, ku nine (< Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese jiǒu ), and -za three (combining form of sa ( n ) < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese sān )

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023