maroon
Use Maroon in a sentence
adjective
1.
dark brownish-red.
2.
Chiefly British.
a.
a loudly exploding firework consisting of a cardboard container filled with gunpowder.
b.
a similar firework used as a danger or warning signal, as by railway brakemen.
Origin:
1585–95; < French marron literally, chestnut, Middle French < Upper Italian (Tuscan marrone), perhaps ultimately derivative of pre-Latin *marr- stone
1585–95; < French marron literally, chestnut, Middle French < Upper Italian (Tuscan marrone), perhaps ultimately derivative of pre-Latin *marr- stone
Dictionary.com Unabridged
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
4.
( often initial capital letter ) any of a group of blacks, descended from fugitive slaves of the 17th and 18th centuries, living in the West Indies and Guiana, especially in mountainous areas.
5.
a person who is marooned: Robinson Crusoe lived for years as a maroon.
Origin:
1660–70; < French mar(r)on, apparently < American Spanish cimarrón wild (see cimarron); first used in reference to domestic animals that escaped into the woods, later to fugitive slaves
1660–70; < French mar(r)on, apparently < American Spanish cimarrón wild (see cimarron); first used in reference to domestic animals that escaped into the woods, later to fugitive slaves
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To maroon
00:10
Maroon
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
maroon1 (məˈruːn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to leave ashore and abandon, esp on an island |
| 2. | to isolate without resources |
| —n | |
| 3. | a descendant of a group of runaway slaves living in the remoter areas of the Caribbean or Guyana |
| 4. | informal (US), (Canadian) a person who has been marooned, esp on an island |
| [C17 (applied to fugitive slaves): from American Spanish cimarrón wild, literally: dwelling on peaks, from Spanish cima summit] | |
| maroon2 (məˈruːn) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. a dark red to purplish-red colour |
| b. (as adjective): a maroon carpet | |
| 2. | an exploding firework, esp one used as a warning signal |
| [C18: from French, literally: chestnut, | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
maroon
1594, "large sweet chestnut of southern Europe," from Fr. marron "chestnut," from dialect of Lyons, ult. from a word in a pre-Roman language, perhaps Ligurian; or from Gk. maraon "sweet chestnut." Sense of "very dark reddish-brown color" is first recorded 1791, from Fr. couleur marron.
maroon
"put ashore on a desolate island or coast," 1724 (implied in marooning), from maron (n.) "fugitive black slave in the jungles of W.Indies and Dutch Guyana" (1620s), from Fr. marron, said to be a corruption of Sp. cimmaron "wild, untamed," from O.Sp. cimarra "thicket," probably from cima "summit, top"
(from L. cyma "sprout"), with a notion of living wild in the mountains. Related: Marooned.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Chocolate syrup can also be used to create a bit more maroon color.
Redskins fans were scarce, but a few maroon and gold jerseys were scattered among the crowd.
Three maroon-robed monks, shorn and strong, arrive to give a hand.
They are also known as maroon langurs and maroon leaf monkeys.
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