Meaning & use
mahout
Last updated
UK/məˈhaʊt/
US/məˈhaʊt/
Meaning
nouncountable
A person who takes care of and often rides an elephant.
Grammar: Countable; plural 'mahouts'.
Patterns
- a mahout's elephant
- work as a mahout
The mahout guided the elephant through the narrow streets.
She spent a year living with a mahout and learning how elephants are cared for.
Mahouts often form close bonds with the elephants they train.
Word forms
| plural | mahouts |
|---|
Common combinations
- elephant mahout
- The elephant mahout led the animal to the river.
- experienced mahout
- Only an experienced mahout can handle that bull elephant.
- work as a mahout
- He worked as a mahout in Thailand for several years.
- mahout training
- The sanctuary offers mahout training for volunteers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- elephant trainer
- A more general term; 'mahout' specifically refers to the traditional elephant handler in South Asia.
- elephant keeper
- Common in zoo or sanctuary contexts; 'mahout' implies a traditional, often Asian, role.
Commonly confused: mahout or mahatma?
mahout vs mahatma
A title meaning 'great soul', as in Mahatma Gandhi; not related to elephant handling.
Practice
What is a mahout?
Choose one answer.
A mahout is an elephant handler, especially in South and Southeast Asia. The other options are unrelated to the meaning of the word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mahout”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.