marotte

See also: Marotte

French

FWOTD – 5 September 2016

marotte (sense 2)

Etymology

Diminutive of Marie, 15th c.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.ʁɔt/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

marotte f (plural marottes)

1. bauble (grotesque sceptre carried by a jester)
   • 1842, Aloysius Bertrand, “Octobre”, in Gaspard de la nuit, livre VI — Silves, page 176:

     Voici venir la Saint-Martin et ses brandons, Noël et ses bougies, le jour de l’an et ses joujoux, les Rois et leur fête, le Carnaval et sa marotte.

     Here come St Martin's Day and its torches, Christmas and its candles, New Year's Day and its toys, the Three Kings and their feast day [Epiphany], Carnival and its jester's bauble.

2. (by extension) a puppet attached to a wooden stick
3. (by extension) a wooden head used to model headgear
4. (informal, figuratively) an obsession

   Elle parle de musique sans arrêt, c’est sa marotte.

   She talks about music all the time; it's her obsession.

Synonyms

• (obsession): idée fixe

Descendants

• German: Marotte

Further reading

• “marotte”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.