marabou

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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

Michi wears Gucci Lurex sweater, $1,500 at gucci.com; Erdem marabou coat, price upon request.

— véronique hyland, The Cut, "The ‘Super Chill’ Model Who Loves Sharks and Pizza," 30 June 2017
Vultures and marabou storks, flying in from more than 100 kilometers away, roost among the dead and eat up to 9 percent of the wildebeest nutrients.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "The Great Thing About Mass Wildebeest Drownings," 19 June 2017
Daria [Werbowy] had to hold the carcass of a marabou stork twice her size that had been dead for over a week in her hands next to her naked body.

— kerry pieri, Harper's BAZAAR, "Casting the Pirelli: Jennifer Starr Uncovers the Calendar's Secrets," 14 Nov. 2011
On the windowsill farthest from his desk is a stuffed marabou.

— david samuels, WIRED, "Filmmaker Errol Morris Gets to the Truth Behind the Abu Ghraib Photographs," 21 Apr. 2008

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.