was wotd|2006|April|28
English
Etymology
Apparently from a confusion of two similar Dutch words. The first of these is the obsolete mallemerok a �foolish woman�, from malle, foolish, plus marok < French marotte, an object of foolish affection; a �bauble�. The second word mallemok is a name for some persons among the crew of a whaling vessel.
Pronunciation
audio|en-us-mallemaroking.ogg|Audio (US)
Noun
mallemaroking
- (archaic) nautical carouse|carousing on icebound Greenland whaling ships.
References
1913 Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, Vol. IX:M-NYMPH; bewerkt door A. Kluyver, A. Lodewyckx, J. Heinsius en J.A.N. Knuttel (�s Gravenhage en Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff, A.W. Sijthoff).
Mallemaroking at Salon.com
World Wide Words
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