Paesano is Italian for Countryman, as in an Italian guy. During the mass immigration, many incoming Italians would look for Paesano for help in the new world with a new language. Even better was a Paesani, or Paesana, varying between gender, which is a townsman, as in they are from the same town. Generally, paesani were nicer to their old friends and would help out immediatley.

"Paesano" is Italian slang for "friend," "brother," or "countryman." It is frequently used in mafia movies.

The word pronounced pie-ZAHN is a dialectical form of the Italian paesano. As a (more or less) phonetic rendering, paisan' is allowed when recording a character's speech.

Paesana in Italian means "countrywoman (from the same province or town)" in English.