ðə nˈeɪm pɹˈɪzi dᵻɹˈaɪvz fɹʌmðə ɡɹˈiːk pɪɹˈɪzoʊ, mˈiːnɪŋ "ɪnsˈɛndjɚɹi" æz ɪnðə kˈɑːntɛkst ʌv sˈɛndɪŋ smˈoʊk sˈɪɡnəlz, ɹᵻfˈɜːɹɪŋ tʊ ɪts ˈɔːɹɪdʒˌɪn æz ɐn ɪmpˈoːɹtənt pˈɔɪnt fɔːɹ fˈaɪɾɪŋ ˈɔf ˈɛnəmi ɪnvˈeɪdɚz ɪn sˈɪsᵻli.
The name Prizzi derives from the Greek Pyrizo, meaning "incendiary" as in the context of sending smoke signals, referring to its origin as an important point for fighting off enemy invaders in Sicily.