marabou

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

marabout

2 of 2

noun (2)

mar·​a·​bout ˈmer-ə-ˌbü 

ˈma-rə-

variants often Marabout

: a dervish in Muslim Africa believed to have supernatural power

Examples of marabou in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

One of the most elaborate wedding dresses in history, Queen Soraya of Iran’s Christian Dior wedding dress featured 37 yards of silver lamé, 6,000 diamonds, and 20,000 marabou feathers, and was so heavy that the train had to be cut at midnight. — Rebecca Cope, Vogue, 7 July 2026

Laura Dern looks amazing in marabou feathers, Marissa Long stuns in sequins, and Chris Messina is also there. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 May 2026

Noun

The Block Museum exhibit features 30 portraits of marabouts, revered Islamic scholars and teachers, from the town of Djenné in Mali. — Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026

New designs this season included marabout feather pillbox shapes and colorful Sherlock Holmes caps. — Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French marabout, literally, marabout

Noun (2)

French, from Portuguese marabuto, from Arabic murābiṭ

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1600, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for marabou

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