mafoo
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.