marabou

mar·a·bou | \ ˈmer-ə-ˌbü

How to pronounce marabou (audio)

, ˈma-rə-\

variants: or less commonly marabout

Definition of marabou

1a : 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 crumeniferus) that has a distensible pouch of pink skin at the front of the neck and feeds especially on carrion

— called also marabou stork

2a : silk composed of several twisted threads that is dyed before the sericin has been removed

b : a fabric made of this silk

Examples of marabou in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Here’s Cardi, wearing something like a pink marabou stole, or perhaps the pelt of Big Bird’s fuchsia cousin, while purporting to fly private—like, as the lone passenger on a jet—in search of unsigned talents. — Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, "Four Shows at the Center of a Golden Age of Hip-Hop Television," 1 Nov. 2019 With strong fabric glue, attach some wide black grosgrain ribbon for the handle, and a strip of marabou or feather boa for the cuff. — Michele Filon, Woman's Day, "Hag Bags," 9 Sep. 2019 Embellished with marabou feathers, her pink mini dress was suitably festive, while offering a different take on dressing for an event where less is usually more. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Rihanna Proves She’s the Queen of Crop Over in Barbados," 5 Aug. 2019 Swaziland Hlane Royal National Park: Head to Swaziland, a country landlocked between South Africa and Mozambique, to see Hlane’s fiercely protected rhinos and marabou storks. — Kitson Jazynka, National Geographic, "17 unforgettable African safaris," 14 June 2019 My earliest beauty memory of her is seeing her red lipstick tube and powder with white marabou feathers ‎overflowing from the jar on her vanity. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "14 Beauty Experts on the Lessons They’ve Learned From Their Mothers," 11 May 2019 Still, in recent seasons feathers—both real and faux—have reentered the zeitgeist, the marabou look coming back on the trim of a trouser here (Miu Miu), on the sleeve of a blazer there (Rachel Comey), or in the most OTT of cases, all over. — Glamour, "If You Want a Big Style Moment in 2019, Bring On the Feathers," 10 Apr. 2019 That tee is available on his site now, for $225, alongside a beige dress trimmed in pink marabou with an illustration of a man and a woman in—uh, how to say this delicately? — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "The Joys of Sex, According to Christopher Kane," 26 Sep. 2018 Heaven is a mountaintop in the Swiss Alps with a bouclé tailleur and a marabou cape. — Nicole Phelps, Vogue, "The Top 12 Shows of Paris Fashion Week Fall 2019," 6 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'marabou.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

19 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for marabou

The first known use of marabou was in 1819

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