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 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

Illustration of marabou

• marabou 1b

Examples of marabou in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Add a horseback safari through the grounds to your itinerary to see llamas, colobus monkeys, marabou storks, zebras and peacocks. —Jennifer Kester, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

So when the trailer for the upcoming live-action Barbie movie opened with a shot of star Margot Robbie stepping out of Barbie’s marabou stilettos, still on tiptoes, the internet exploded. —Time, 27 June 2023

At Chanel, large marabou clusters fluttered from a simple black knitted shift; and at Valentino, feathery crests stood at attention to accent crisp poplin shirts, thigh-skimming miniskirts and a showstopping black and white diagonally striped coat. —Elizabeth Paton, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2023

One- to 2-inch-long, 1/16- or 1/8-ounce soft-plastic, hair, or marabou jigs are all effective. —Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, 3 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

French marabout, literally, marabout

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1a