maroon Hear it!

maroon1 definition

ma·roon (mə ro̵̅o̅n′)

noun, adjective

dark brownish red

Etymology: Fr marron, chestnut, chestnut color < It marrone

maroon2 definition

ma·roon (mə ro̵̅o̅n′)

noun

  1. in the West Indies and Suriname,
    1. Historical a fugitive black slave
    2. a descendant of such slaves
  2. Rare a marooned person

Etymology: Fr marron < AmSp cimarrón, wild, unruly < OSp cimarra, thicket

transitive verb

  1. to put (a person) ashore in some desolate place, as a desert island, and abandon that person there, as pirates or mutineers sometimes did
  2. to leave abandoned, isolated, or helpless

intransitive verb

☆ Obsolete in the South, to camp out or picnic for several days

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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