Which is the correct term? Ive personally always referred to the honoured society as Cosa Nostra, my reasoning stems from Joe Cago telling the feds its Cosa Nostra, Valachi was straightened out almost at the inception of American Cosa Nostra, so i figure if anybody knows the proper name, its Joe Cago. Also the translation doesnt make sense "The Our Thing". I suspect it all started when in the papers reporters and police started referring to "The Cosa Nostra" which they added La in place of the the. I found an article about Sammy The Stoolie, who actually corrects a D.A when she refers to it as La Cosa Nostra, telling her theres no La, its just Cosa Nostra

Cosa Nostra like John Gotti said!

GOTTI: I'm not in the mood for the toys, or games, or kidding [UI]. I'm not in the mood for clans. I'm not in the mood for gangs. I'm not in the mood for none of that stuff there. This is gonna be a Cosa Nostra 'til I die. Be it an hour from now, or be it tonight, or a hundred years from now when I'm in jail. It's gonna be a Cosa Nostra. This ain't gonna be a bunch of your friends, they're gonna be friends of ours. But at the same time would be friends of ours, it's gonna be the way I say it's gonna be, [UI] a Cosa Nostra. A Cosa Nostra.

Actually its Cosa nostra without the capital N.

Lol Cosa nostra? It looks like shit when you write it like that lol. Me personally, I refer to the American Mafia as La Cosa Nostra and the Sicilian Mafia as Cosa Nostra.

Its "La Cosa Nostra" aka "Our Things or The Things of Our".
The Honorated Society is a word that was used in Italy to don't say "Cosa Nostra" to the strangers.

The term "La Cosa Nostra" is a fiction created by FBI agents that didn't understand what they were hearing, and didn't understand how to interpret the Italian language correctly. They put the term La Cosa Nostra out there to the public, and after decades of its use today there are even street guys (made men) who call it that. WRONG!

There is no "La" in Cosa Nostra. It is grammactially incorrect number one as far as Italian goes. And number two, it sounds ridiculous when deciphered into English. Doesn't make sense. Yet, to this very day many in law enforcement, the FBI, etc. refer to it that way. Hence the term, "LCN"....Certain mafia members do as well (typically the American born mamelukes that don't even understand what they're saying).

Cosa Nostra is the true name of the organization. Essentially the organization really has no name, because "Cosa Nostra" in Sicilian, Italian, means "our thing." The term was actually a euphemism to refer to an "entity" or a "body" of men that was left unnamed, and was really the Mafia by any other term you care to use. Dating to hundreds of years ago there was always different names given to crews from different towns in Sicily; Picciotteria, Fratelli, Fratellanza, etc etc. But by any other name;

The Brotherhood (which is actually what it was, and is supposed to be. A closed society of men)
The Honored Society (Societa' Onorata, in Calabrese)
The Camorra (in Napolitano)
The Mafia (in Sicilian)
The Arm (Buffalo)
The Office (New England)
The Outfit (Chicago and in other midwestern states such as Kansas City, etc)
The Boys
The Mob
.......etc., etc., each of these terms is a reference to what is essentially the Mafia.

Cosa Nostra (our thing) became a term popular back in the 1960s after Bobby Kennedy and his ilk started really breaking balls on everybody. Slowly, because of the bad publicity, the word Mafia was used less and less and the term "Cosa Nostra" became more popular among the troops to try and throw shade on the guys. Today, its commonplace, but it's use hasn't stopped the public and LE from now understanding what's what....it is the mob, the mafia.

Rats have destroyed that entire concept and shadowy term of "Cosa Nostra" years ago. Today, sadly, it's usage is as common as water.

Whats that old adage? It you say something long enough, regardless of whether its correct or incorrect, people will start to believe it. Thats what happened here with Cosa Nostra. The "La" was placed in front and used zillions of times to the point that today many thing thats the correct way to refer to it as.

"If you tell a lie long enough the people will believe it" was referred to Goebbels but its a sentence used by Roper in his book on Goebbels propaganda.

TNYM you hit the nail on the head, however I still refer to the American Mafia as La Cosa Nostra and the Sicilian Mafia as Cosa Nostra. Many writers do too it helps distinguish the two organizations for readers, but I still think readers should know the facts as well.

Its most distinguished name IMO was "Societa' Honore" ........ or "The Honored Society" in English

This term was used by members themselves as a sign of respect for the brotherhood. And members were called "Men of Honor" or "Uomini di Rispetto"

Still today in Sicily. That terminology is used

In Calabria THIS was the term used for decades. The name N'drangheta came much later. A Calabrese was originally called a "uomo di rispetto"

Sicilian Mafia | Sicily Mafia Wars | (1992)

FBI 302 about the name of the Organization

exactly. Good post TI