marabou

noun

mar·​a·​bou ˈmer-ə-ˌbü 

ˈma-rə-

variants or less commonly marabout

1

a

: a soft feathery fluffy material prepared from turkey feathers or the coverts of marabous and used especially for trimming women's hats or clothes

b

marabou : a large dark gray African stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) that has a distensible pouch of pink skin at the front of the neck and feeds especially on carrion

called also marabou stork

2

a

: silk composed of several twisted threads that is dyed before the sericin has been removed

b

: a fabric made of this silk

Illustration of marabou

• marabou 1b

Examples of marabou in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Her blond wig is piled sky-high, and her still-hourglass shape peeks through a marabou and chiffon peignoir. — Tony Bravo, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026

Use marabou jigs, jigs tipped with one- to two-inch minnows and spoons for combing these deeper areas. — John Phillips, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026

Who but Cher could entertain an audience in belly-baring halter tops or marabou feathers and sequins? — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 20 May 2021

Monster bamboo, bougainvillea, and banana plants crashed in from the roadside; a tin roof sagged under the weight of a gaggle of marabou storks; baboons plundered trash cans at a highway intersection. — Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French marabout, literally, marabout

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for marabou

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• caribou
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue