mafoo

M3A1F4O1O1
UK/ˈmɑːfuː/

noun

In China, someone who looks after horses in a stable; a groom.

OriginMandarin 馬伕 /马伕 →
First used 19th c.Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nounmafoo (plural mafoos)

plural mafoos

  1. In China, someone who looks after horses in a stable; a groom.First known use 19th c.

    The mafoos held their charges miserably, as if sick with nerves.

    1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 144

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
groom

Origin

  1. Mandarin馬伕 /马伕
  2. Englishmafoo

From Mandarin 馬伕 /马伕 (mǎfū), from 馬 /马 (mǎ, “horse”) + 伕 (fū, “servant, labourer”).

More words from Mandarin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French mafou
  • mafoua horse groom (in China)
Cite this entry
APA

mafoo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mafoo

MLA

“mafoo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mafoo. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mafoo,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mafoo.

Source: mafoo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.