marabou

M3A1R1A1B3O1U1
/ˈmæɹəbuː/

noun

Leptoptilos crumeniferus, a large wading bird native to Africa, with a naked head and neck adapted for scavenging.

Similar
adjutant storkmarabou storkmaraboutLeptoptilus crumeniferus
OriginFrench marabou →
UncommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

nounmarabou (plural marabous)

plural marabous · alternative marabu · alternative marabout

  1. Leptoptilos crumeniferus, a large wading bird native to Africa, with a naked head and neck adapted for scavenging.

    Synonyms: adjutant stork, marabou stork

  2. LouisianaUSdatedA person having five-eighths black ancestry; the offspring of a mulatto and a griffe.

    Madimarian , a Marabou, killed me a bullock; I give him one bottle of powder.

    1815, Mungo Park, The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa
  3. businessA kind of thrown raw silk, naturally nearly white, but capable of being dyed without scouring.
  4. A thin fabric made from this silk, as for scarves.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounLeptoptilos crumeniferus, a large wading bird native to Africa, with a naked head and neck adapted for scavenging.

Similar
adjutant storkmarabou stork

More synonyms by meaning

nounlarge African black-and-white carrion-eating stork; its downy underwing feathers are used to trim garments

Similar
maraboutmarabou storkLeptoptilus crumeniferus
Broader
stork
Also see
marabou storkmarabout

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Frenchmarabou
  2. Englishmarabou

From French marabou, an older spelling of marabout.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans maraboe
  • maraboelarge wading bird native to Africa
Bulgarian марабу
  • марабу (marabu)large wading bird native to Africa
Catalan marabú
  • marabúlarge wading bird native to Africa
Czech marabu
  • marabularge wading bird native to Africa
Dutch maraboe
  • maraboelarge wading bird native to Africa
Finnish afrikanmarabu, marabu
  • afrikanmarabularge wading bird native to Africa
  • marabularge wading bird native to Africa
French marabout
  • maraboutlarge wading bird native to Africa
German Marabu
  • Marabularge wading bird native to Africa
Italian cicogna gozzuta
  • cicogna gozzutalarge wading bird native to Africa
Japanese アメリカ禿鸛
  • アメリカ禿鸛 (Amerika hagekō)large wading bird native to Africa
Polish marabut
  • marabutlarge wading bird native to Africa
Portuguese marabu
  • marabularge wading bird native to Africa
Romanian marabu
  • marabularge wading bird native to Africa
Russian марабу́, пти́ца-адъюта́нт
  • марабу́ (marabú)large wading bird native to Africa
  • пти́ца-адъюта́нт (ptíca-adʺjutánt)large wading bird native to Africa
Spanish marabú
  • marabúlarge wading bird native to Africa
Cite this entry
APA

marabou. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marabou

MLA

“marabou.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marabou. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “marabou,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marabou.

Source: marabou on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.