goombah

Meaning

1. (US, derogatory, ethnic, slang, slur) A person of Italian descent (often implies the person is connected to Italian organized crime)
2. (US, slang) A companion, pal, close friend, or associate, especially among Italian-American men. It sometimes has the connotation of an older friend who acts as a patron, protector or adviser.

Translations

Itaker

Spaghettifresser

macaroni

rital

spaghettivreter

macaronivreter

pizzavreter

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɡumbɑ/

Etymology

Cognate with Italian: compare

Cognate with Spanish: compadre

Cognate with Spanish: cumpa

In summary

From Neapolitan cumpà and Sicilian cumpari (“buddy, pal”, akin to Italian compare, Spanish compadre, from Latin compater, literally “godfather”), a word often used to refer to “family friends” or friends close enough to be considered an “aunt” or “uncle”, though not related by blood.
To an English-speaking ear, the unaspirated stops of Southern Italian dialects (especially Neapolitan) are interpreted as voiced stops, yielding goombah. Compare South American Spanish cumpa. Doublet of compadre, compeer, and compere.