What does marabou mean?
Marabou most commonly names a large stork native to tropical Africa, notable for its bare head, long heavy bill, and expandable throat pouch. In older English, the word also came to stand for the bird's feathers, which were prized as trim for hats and other fashion accessories; that millinery use is now largely historical. Modern speakers usually say marabou stork when they want the species' full name, while marabou by itself can refer either to the bird or, as a mass noun, to its feathers. The word should not be confused with marabout, the more usual spelling for a Muslim holy man or dervish, although the forms are historically related and overlap in older usage. Marabou is worth knowing because it preserves both an ornithological name and a glimpse of the vocabulary of nineteenth-century fashion.
nounA marabou is a large stork native to tropical Africa, recognizable by its bare head, long heavy bill, and expandable throat pouch. The name can also denote the bird's feathers, formerly used decoratively in millinery.
- A large stork native to tropical Africa, with a bare head and neck, a long bill, and a large throat pouch.
- The feathers of this stork, formerly used as trim in hats and other fashion accessories.
"A marabou stood beside the watering hole, its enormous bill resting against its long neck."
"The marabou waited motionless at the edge of the wetland."
"Her hat was trimmed with marabou in the extravagant style of the late nineteenth century."
The plural marabous is used for individual birds; the feathers are generally treated as an uncountable mass noun.
"Two marabous were observed feeding beside the river."
The odd little link is that the marabou's name reached English through a French word for a Muslim holy man.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does marabou come from?
The English bird name came through French marabout, also written marabou, from Arabic murābiṭ, meaning a religious devotee and literally one who binds himself. The same Arabic root underlies cognates including marabout and Almoravid. The older English religious sense survives chiefly under the spelling marabout, while marabou became established for the African stork and its feathers.
How marabou is actually used
In current English, marabou most often names the bird, while the millinery sense is largely historical. Marabout is normally used for a Muslim holy man or dervish, though the forms overlap in older usage.
Easily confused with marabou
Marabout normally means a Muslim holy man or dervish, whereas marabou now chiefly denotes an African stork or its feathers, although the spellings are historically related and overlap in older usage.