noun, feminine/ma.ʁɔt/plural: marottes
bauble (grotesque sceptre carried by a jester); a puppet attached to a wooden stick; a wooden head used to model headgear; an obsession
“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.
Synonyms: idée fixe
Diminutive of Marie, 15th c.