maroon

1
[ muh-roon ]
/ məˈrun /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR maroon ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

dark brownish-red.
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.

Origin of maroon

1
1585–95; < French marron literally, chestnut, Middle French < Upper Italian (Tuscan marrone), perhaps ultimately derivative of pre-Latin *marr- stone

Words nearby maroon

marne, maroc, marocain, maroni, maronite, maroon, maroon peak, maroquin, maror, maros, maroteaux-lamy syndrome

Definition for maroon (2 of 2)

maroon 2
[ muh-roon ]
/ məˈrun /

verb (used with object)

to put ashore and abandon on a desolate island or coast by way of punishment or the like, as was done by buccaneers.
to place in an isolated and often dangerous position: The rising floodwaters marooned us on top of the house.
to abandon and leave without aid or resources: Having lost all his money, he was marooned in the strange city.

noun

(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.
a person who is marooned: Robinson Crusoe lived for years as a maroon.

Origin of maroon

2
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

Words related to maroon

isolate, strand, leave, beach, desert, forsake

Example sentences from the Web for maroon

British Dictionary definitions for maroon (1 of 2)

maroon 1
/ (məˈruːn) /

verb (tr)

to leave ashore and abandon, esp on an island
to isolate without resources

noun

a descendant of a group of runaway slaves living in the remoter areas of the Caribbean or Guyana
US and Canadian informal a person who has been marooned, esp on an island

Word Origin for maroon

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

British Dictionary definitions for maroon (2 of 2)

maroon 2
/ (məˈruːn) /

noun

  1. a dark red to purplish-red colour
  2. (as adjective)a maroon carpet
an exploding firework, esp one used as a warning signal

Word Origin for maroon

C18: from French, literally: chestnut, marron 1