maroon

¹ American  

[muh-roon] / məˈrun /

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.

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maroon ² American  

[muh-roon] / məˈrun /

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.

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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 British  

/ məˈruːn /

verb

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

2. to isolate without resources

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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 British  

/ 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

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Etymology

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

Example Sentences

Footage taken in the moments before the impact showed multiple motorists driving around the marooned car.

From BBC

Her blonde hair is fixed in uneven pigtails, her shirt is stained with something maroon, and she’s wearing a tangle of plastic beads around her neck.

From Literature

When the seasoned diplomat found himself in the midst of a hazardous voyage in 1784, he might well have compared himself to the marooned Robinson Crusoe.

From The Wall Street Journal

I might be marooned on an island, but I wondered if I would ever feel this free again in my life.

From Literature

In his maroon robes, simple sandals and wide-rimmed spectacles, the Dalai Lama is an unlikely global celebrity.

From Barron's

Related Words

• isolate
• strand