mafoo
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Mandarin 馬伕 / 马伕 (mǎfū), from 馬 / 马 (mǎ, “horse”) + 伕 (fū, “servant, labourer”). (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]mafoo (plural mafoos)
- In China, someone who looks after horses in a stable; a groom. [from 19th c.]
- 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 144:
- The mafoos held their charges miserably, as if sick with nerves.