marabou

noun mar·a·bou \ ˈma-rə-ˌbü \

variants: or less commonly marabout

Definition of marabou

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 crumeniferus) 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

Recent Examples of marabou from the Web

Other videos and images of the collection released seem to imply more of the same, like a video of a model in a white lace crewneck top or another in a pink top lined in marabou feathers.

— steff yotka, Vogue, "Rihanna Previews Her Lingerie Collection as Only She Can," 24 Apr. 2018
The pulsating motion of the turkey marabou in the water also makes the pattern extremely effective.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: 13 famous Wisconsin fly patterns take center stage," 21 Apr. 2018
Drifting night crawlers has been good in main channel, along with sculpin/ginger marabou jigs.

— tyler mahoney special to the star tyler mahoney,, kansascity, "Fishing report: Things have been slow because of weather | The Kansas City Star," 11 Apr. 2018
Nina Ricci marabou clutch, $1,325 at ninaricci.com.

— rebecca ramsey, The Cut, "Nina Ricci Makes Orange Marabou Seem Polished," 11 Jan. 2018
Last week anglers had success throwing dark-colored marabou jigs from shore, catching browns to 6 pounds and plenty of rainbows.

— sacbee, "Fishing line: Salmon season closed on American River | The Sacramento Bee," 18 Dec. 2017
Breckenridge, with his glasses perched on the tip of his nose, ties flies to match the colors of the fall — deep red marabou streamers and bright orange shrimp patterns.

— monte burke, New York Times, "When Salmon Return to the Margaree, It’s All Fly Rods and Autumn Glory," 28 Oct. 2017
Looking resplendent in pink marabou Miu Miu, Miss Piggy held court amid furry-faced friends like Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and Derek Blasberg, while the British cross-dresser and D.J. Jodie Harsh spun tunes.

— elizabeth paton, New York Times, "The Ravenous Parties of London Fashion Week," 19 Sep. 2017
My favorite species of bird is the marabou stork, a grandfatherly looking bird with a mostly featherless head and an obscene appendage hanging from its neck.

— susan matthews, Slate Magazine, "I Can’t Stop Looking at Naked Birds," 13 Feb. 2017

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.