barracoon

[ bar-uh-koon ]

noun

1. (formerly) a place of temporary confinement for slaves or convicts.

barracoon

/ ˌbærəˈkuːn /

noun

1. (formerly) a temporary place of confinement for slaves or convicts, esp those awaiting transportation

Word History and Origins

Origin of barracoon¹

1850–55, Americanism; < Spanish barracón, equivalent to barrac ( a ) hut ( barrack ¹ ) + -on augmentative suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of barracoon¹

C19: from Spanish barracón , from barraca hut, from Catalan

Example Sentences

The resulting book, “Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo,’” became a New York Times bestseller and landed on many lists of 2018’s best titles.

From Los Angeles Times

Plant, who edited Zora Neale Hurston’s posthumous nonfiction work “Barracoon,” makes a cogent and compelling argument against our country’s criminal justice system — one that not only privileges the moneyed but often literally builds on land once occupied by slave plantations.

From Los Angeles Times

With my newfound appetite for the written word, I've now turned to devouring Hurston's "Barracoon," the story derived from interviews conducted in 1927 with Cudjo Lewis, the last surviving "cargo" transported from Africa.

From Salon

“Barracoon” was finally published in 2018, becoming a bestseller.

From Washington Post

Hurston wrote his story in the book “Barracoon; the Story of the Last Black Cargo,” but publishers insisted she translate his words.

From Washington Post