Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Nautical, the visiting and carousing of seamen in the Greenland ships.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun archaic, nautical carousing on icebound Greenland whaling ships.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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, from 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.

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Examples

  • For example, "mallemaroking" — a word meaning the "carousing of seamen in ice-bound ships."

    Defined Intervention 2006

  • One of my favourites is "mallemaroking"; for a great collection of peculiar words with discussions of etymology and usage, check out Michael Quinion's

    Slaw 2010

  • Without Chambers, the genealogist would be left to wonder why her great-grandfather was set adrift by Admiral Peary for being a "mallemaroking jobernowl."

    Defined Intervention 2006

  • [Stedman's Medical Dictionary, Baltimore] mallemaroking ... carousing of seamen in icebound ships.

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XIX No 2 1992

Comments

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  • The behavior of drunken sailors on icebound ships.

    February 1, 2008

  • Mallemaroking - the carousing of seamen in icebound ships. A wonderfully useful word! How many icebound ships do we all know?

    (Sue H, Tiverton)

    frindley thinks c_b may be able to give this word a home as well…

    October 15, 2008

  • I saw this the other day, I think... Is it Newfoundlandese? Not in my Dictionary of Newfoundland English, but I know I've seen this before... Different spelling?

    October 15, 2008

  • Apparently it derived from the Dutch for "foolish" or "silly," and an 1812 citation spells it "mallemuching." Does that look familiar, c_b?

    October 15, 2008

  • Not quite. Gah!

    October 15, 2008

  • Gah?

    October 15, 2008

  • Gah! I learn words and then forget them two days later!

    October 15, 2008

  • Gah!

    October 16, 2008

  • I take it "gah" is a delightful ejaculation.

    But I thought this had something to do with French New Wave films set in Morocco.

    October 16, 2008

  • Sadly, no, rolig. Well, it's delightful to ejaculate thus, but it generally indicates frustration. In a comic way.

    October 16, 2008

  • Well, I just noticed it was on your "delightful ejaculation" list.

    October 16, 2008

  • Yes, it reminds me of my spawn, whom I shamelessly stole it from. Say it with me...

    Gah!

    See? Isn't that delightful?

    October 16, 2008

  • Delightful to say when frustrated.

    October 16, 2008

  • I suspect this is a derogatory derivation from malamute. Just 'cause I'm hoping to pick a fight.

    October 16, 2008

  • *leaps out from behind a drunken sailor and whumps Asa with a frozen snowball*

    October 16, 2008

  • Mush!

    October 16, 2008

  • Hike! Gee! Haw! Lead dog! Wheel dog! ... umm... Snow!

    October 16, 2008

  • Bilby, what did you do with the drunken sailor?

    October 16, 2008

  • I tried to put him in the scuppers with a hosepipe on him. He weren't best pleased.

    October 16, 2008

  • Perhaps you should next try to tie him to the taffrail when she's yardarm under?

    Just a thought.

    October 16, 2008

  • keelhaul the lot of 'em.

    October 17, 2008

  • I think we could revive this for contemporary urban usage. Or is there an existing word for "carousing of shoppers in carpark-bound malls"?

    October 17, 2008

  • Shoppers don't carouse much where I live, but I like the sentiment.

    October 17, 2008

  • Maybe the frolicking of commuters stuck in traffic?

    October 17, 2008

  • Frolic is the last thing I do when stuck in traffic, Asa. How do you manage it?

    October 18, 2008

  • Don't. I live across from the subway line I take to work. But if I were stuck in traffic, I would make every attempt to frolic.

    October 18, 2008

  • mallemarodeborking

    October 19, 2008

  • mallemarodeborking

    October 19, 2008

  • mallemarodeborking

    October 19, 2008

  • mallemarodeborking

    October 19, 2008

  • A different stutter?

    October 19, 2008

  • very mallemaroking funny

    October 20, 2008

  • not very mallemaroking funny

    October 20, 2008

  • mallemaroking henry I

    October 20, 2008

  • mallemaroking henry II

    October 20, 2008

  • mallemaroking henry III

    October 20, 2008

  • mallemaroking henry IV

    October 20, 2008

  • mallemaroking henry V

    October 20, 2008

  • mallemaroking henry VI

    October 20, 2008

  • mallemaroking henry VII

    October 20, 2008

  • mallemaroking henry VIII

    October 20, 2008

  • Oh, gangerh and other dear friends, please please have a heart for us Wordies who use Wordie on our mobile phones when out and about. There is nothing more disheartening than to see that the "last 20 comments" are restricted to one word and, in essence, one comment.

    October 20, 2008

  • Oh, dear. Sorry, frindley and all others affected. I wasn't aware of this situation. Was just trying to correct an ugly screen situation caused by the 'o-word' being in the top 10 most commented.

    I think I've found a simpler, 'one-comment' solution. Hope that doesn't adversely affect your mobile screen.

    October 20, 2008

  • Yes, I agree, frindley. This whole idea of adding nonsense comments to tinker with the scores on the home page gets to be a bit much when you're sorting through hundreds of comments. And I say that with all due respect. :-)

    October 20, 2008

  • I second frindley's kind but heartfelt remark.

    It is also possible--I suggest merely as a possible consideration--to delete comments.

    October 20, 2008

  • Yes: I'm sorry too - I got a little carried away. Like gangerh, I was just trying to get that evil word out of the top ten discussions so that new comments on the home page wouldn't be squeezed into a hideous pillar of text, only seven characters wide.

    Despite unwelcome marsupial interference.

    October 20, 2008

  • frindley and friends, I'll soon truncate the length of words in the right hand column, should hopefully prevent the need for vigilante justice.

    October 20, 2008

  • I'd never heard this word before last week. I climbed into my car today and the radio came on at the start of a discussion about mallemaroking with the definitions and history of the word.

    (Well, that's better than my usual contribution to this page!)

    October 24, 2008

  • That happens to me surprisingly often. There must be a word for it.... :-)

    October 24, 2008

  • Synchronlexicity?

    October 24, 2008

  • Ouch! That hurts my tongue. ;-)

    October 24, 2008

  • Pallmallemaroking - the behaviour of a drunken Sub-Lieutenant Wales staggering home in midwinter.

    October 24, 2008

  • JM is off to mallemaroking practice - back next season!

    November 22, 2009

  • When whalers are done with whale stalking

    And wearied of scrimshaw and talking,

    Then, free of their labors,

    They visit the neighbors

    For long nights of mallemaroking.

    August 21, 2014