barracoon

[bar-uh-koon]

noun

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

Origin of barracoon

1850–55, Americanism; < Spanish barracón, equivalent to barrac(a) hut (see barrack¹) + -on augmentative suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for barracoon

barracoon

noun

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

Word Origin for barracoon

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012