maroon

¹

[muh-roon]

adjective

1. dark brownish-red.

2. Chiefly British.

   1. a loudly exploding firework consisting of a cardboard container filled with gunpowder.

   2. a similar firework used as a danger or warning signal, as by railway brakemen.

maroon

²

[muh-roon]

verb (used with object)

1. to put ashore and abandon on a desolate island or coast by way of punishment or the like, as was done by buccaneers.

2. to place in an isolated and often dangerous position.

   The rising floodwaters marooned us on top of the house.

3. to abandon and leave without aid or resources.

   Having lost all his money, he was marooned in the strange city.

noun

1. (often initial capital letter),  any of a group of Black people, descended from fugitive slaves of the 17th and 18th centuries, living in the West Indies and Guiana, especially in mountainous areas.

2. a person who is marooned.

   Robinson Crusoe lived for years as a maroon.

maroon

¹

/ məˈruːn /

verb

1. to leave ashore and abandon, esp on an island

2. to isolate without resources

noun

1. a descendant of a group of runaway slaves living in the remoter areas of the Caribbean or Guyana

2. informal,  a person who has been marooned, esp on an island

maroon

²

/ məˈruːn /

noun

1. 1. a dark red to purplish-red colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a maroon carpet

2. an exploding firework, esp one used as a warning signal

Word History and Origins

Origin of maroon¹

First recorded in 1585–95; from French marron literally, “chestnut (nut and color), firecracker,” Middle French, from Italian marrone “chestnut, brown”; further origin unknown

Origin of maroon²

First recorded in 1660–70; from French mar(r)on, apparently from Colonial Spanish cimarrón “wild”; first used in reference to domestic animals that escaped into the woods, later to people who escaped slavery; cimarron

Word History and Origins

Origin of maroon¹

C17 (applied to fugitive slaves): from American Spanish cimarrón wild, literally: dwelling on peaks, from Spanish cima summit

Origin of maroon²

C18: from French, literally: chestnut, _marron ¹

Example Sentences

The thief drove off with the maroon two-seater and hadn’t been caught as of Tuesday morning.

From Los Angeles Times

As a young lad growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area town of Pittsburg, my school uniform consisted of corduroys the color of Ash Wednesday, a white dress shirt and a maroon V-neck sweater.

From Los Angeles Times

The woman’s maroon Kia Sorrento had been stolen, and the department sent the license plate number to surrounding jurisdictions in the hope of finding the suspect and the vehicle, police said.

From Los Angeles Times

The drama: Our captain’s previous ship was marooned under suspicious circumstances.

From Los Angeles Times

He adds, later: “We all felt like we were marooned on a desert island.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• isolate 
• strand