Definition of "marabou" [mar•a•bou]

• Any of several large African storks of the genus Leptoptilos that scavenge for carrion and that have a soft white down on the underside. Also called adjutant, adjutant stork. (noun)
• The down of one of these storks or an imitation of it made from other bird feathers. (noun)
• A hat or garment trimmed with the down of a stork or an imitation of it. (noun)
• A raw silk that can be dyed without being separated from the gum. (noun)
• A fabric or an article of apparel made from such silk. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Because the marabou is tied all the way up to the head with no chenille between, the jigs have a ripple action from head to tail."
• "The slippers are gray-green cable-knit and the marabou is a frilly hot pink."
• "The striking features of Negro evening dress consisted in astonishing turbans with marabou feathers, into which add accessories of squib shape and other forms were inserted."