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

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

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

From Seattle Times • Aug. 25, 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

“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.

From Los Angeles Times

In the centre is an inscription forbidding to the pious admirers of the marabout the use of the fountain while a drop remains in the Hamadouch.

From Lippincott's Magazine, Volume 11, No. 26, May, 1873 by Various