TERMIUM Plus®

From: Translation Bureau

On social media

Consult the Government of Canada’s terminology data bank.

MAIN NOIR [1 record]

Record 1 2005-12-15

English

Subject field(s)
  • Criminology
CONT

Black Hand, symbol and name for a criminal and terroristic secret society, and especially associated with the Mafia and the Camorra. The Black Hand flourished in Sicily in the late 19th century, and in the United States it was especially active in New York City at the beginning of the 20th century. It is estimated that at one time 90% of New York City's Italian population was blackmailed by letters threatening death and marked with a black hand. Famous incidents associated with the Black Hand include the murder (1890) in New Orleans of chief of police Daniel Hennessy and the shooting (1909), in Palermo, Italy, of Lt. Joseph Petrosino of the New York City police.

OBS

The society was so named because those who did not comply with its demands received notes imprinted with a black hand to warn them of terrible reprisals. Many Italians were expected to give up portions of their wages to this criminal group, and if they didn't, they were repeatedly harassed and even killed.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Criminologie
CONT

Histoire des sociétés politiques secrètes au 19 et au 20 siècles : les carbonari, les décembristes, les sociétés irlandaises, la société Houng en Chine, la main noir, le Ku-Klux-Klan [...]

Spanish

Save record 1

Copyright notice for the TERMIUM Plus® data bank

© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2026
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau

Features

GCtranslate (available on the Government of Canada network only)

Use this artificial intelligence prototype to translate Government of Canada content up to and including Protected B. Available to employees of selected departments and agencies only.

Writing tools

The Language Portal’s writing tools have a new look! Easy to consult, they give you access to a wealth of information that will help you write better in English and French.

Glossaries and vocabularies

Access Translation Bureau glossaries and vocabularies.

Date Modified: