marabout

[mar-uh-boot, -boo]

noun

1. Islam.

   1. a hermit or holy man, especially in N Africa, often wielding political power and credited with supernatural powers.

   2. the tomb or shrine of such a man.

2. marabou.

marabout

/ ˈmærəˌbuː /

noun

1. a Muslim holy man or hermit of North Africa

2. a shrine of the grave of a marabout

Other Word Forms

• maraboutism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of marabout¹

1615–25; < French < Portuguese marabuto < Arabic murābit; Almoravid, maravedi

Word History and Origins

Origin of marabout¹

C17: via French and Portuguese marabuto, from Arabic murābit

Example Sentences

We follow Ibrahimah with our hearts as he dodges rival packs of talibé, escapes black-market organ traders and other criminals, and survives the cruelty of his marabout while student protests mount in the streets.

Read more on New York Times

DAKAR, Senegal — On one wall, the painting of a marabout, a Muslim holy man, peers out from behind a line hung with laundry.

Read more on New York Times

Paru then began to speak of the desert fathers and of marabouts, holy men who, in these parts, had used the desert as a site of spiritual inquiry.

Read more on New York Times

“Sometimes my marabout will take what I collect and sell it,” said Ahmadou, who comes from a small village in Gambia and has not seen his family for years.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In the 2015 presidential election, Jonathan’s national security adviser spent billions of naira employing marabouts – Muslim holy men – from Saudi Arabia and north Africa to pray for his reelection, according to Nigerian media.

Read more on The Guardian