marabout

American  

[mar-uh-boot, -boo] / ˈmær əˌbut, -ˌbu /

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.

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marabout British  

/ ˈmærəˌbuː /

noun

1. a Muslim holy man or hermit of North Africa

2. a shrine of the grave of a marabout

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Other Word Forms

• maraboutism noun

Etymology

Origin of marabout

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

Example Sentences

He’d become a recluse, a Sufi, a marabout.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2023

Another marabout in a suburb of Dakar said he supports the government's efforts, but Quranic schools need more financial support to improve.

From US News • Aug. 26, 2016

“They tried to take away everything that made Timbuktu Timbuktu,” said Mahalmoudou Tandina, a marabout, or Islamic preacher, whose ancestors first settled in Timbuktu from Morocco in the 13th century.

From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2013

Thurman, the willowy actress who's one of eight members of the jury presided by Robert De Niro, wore a white bustier dress by Versace, with a marabout feather-embellished train.

From Seattle Times • May 12, 2011

Birds are very numerous; they include various eagles, several kinds of heron, the egret, the marabout, the crane and the pelican; turacos or plantain-eaters, are common, as are other brilliantly plumaged birds.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 1 "Franciscans" to "French Language" by Various