maroon
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maroon¹
- /məˈɹuːn/
- /məˈɹəʉn/ Australia
- /məˈɹʉːn/ Australia
Rhymes with -uːn, -əʊn
Where it comes from
From French marron (“feral; fugitive”, adjective), from Spanish cimarrón (“fugitive, wild, feral”); see that entry for more.
noun maroons · Maroon
-
An escaped black slave of the Caribbean and the Americas or a descendant of such a person.
Further north a Maroon community in the Bahoruco Mountains thrived for eighty-five years, until the French proposed a truce under the terms of which the Maroons would be permitted to form an independent clan.
Similar: Bush Negro, Boschneger
- A castaway; a person who has been marooned (abandoned).
adjective
- Associated with Maroon culture, communities or peoples. In her discussion of Michelle Cliff's Abeng, a novel that historicizes maroon culture and the Jamaican warrior heroine Nanny of the Maroons, Francoise Lionnet examines linguistic “metissage” […]
verb maroons · marooning · marooned
- To abandon in a remote, desolate place, as on a desert island. Hard-hit by the Arctic winter, the Waverley route was completely closed from January 6-9, when an avalanche between Whitrope and Riccarton marooned Class A2 4-6-2 No. 60535 Hornet's Beauty.
maroon²
- /məˈɹuːn/
- /məˈɹəʉn/ Australia
- /məˈɹʉːn/ Australia
Rhymes with -uːn, -əʊn
Where it comes from
From earlier marone, marron, borrowed from French marron (“chestnut; brown”). Compare Spanish marrón. Doublet of marron (“sweet chestnut”).
noun maroons
- A rich dark red, somewhat brownish, color. Is it a really dark maroon or a lighter maroon or a maroon that leans toward the red side? Or the magenta side? To address this issue, scientists use something called a color space.
adjective more maroon · most maroon
- Of a dark red or reddish-brown color.
maroon³
- /məˈɹuːn/
- /məˈɹəʉn/ Australia
- /məˈɹʉːn/ Australia
Rhymes with -uːn, -əʊn
Where it comes from
Unknown. Possibly related to the sense “castaway” (etymology 1), or owing to the fact that the color of a fired flare was commonly red (etymology 2).
noun maroons
- A rocket-propelled firework or skyrocket, often one used as a signal (for example, to summon the crew of a lifeboat or warn of an air raid). On Sunday afternoon a serious firework explosion occurred in Lambeth, whereby three persons were seriously injured. Two lads […] purchased a firework called a “maroon”, which is a bomb consisting of a small ball of string covered with a red composition. It is loaded with gunpowder, and there is also
maroon⁴
- /məˈɹuːn/
- /məˈɹəʉn/ Australia
- /məˈɹʉːn/ Australia
Rhymes with -uːn, -əʊn
Where it comes from
From an intentional mispronunciation of the word moron used by the cartoon character Bugs Bunny.
Maroon⁵
noun Maroons
- Alternative form of maroon (“descendant of escaped slaves”).
Maroon⁶
proper noun Maroons
- A surname.
noun Maroons
- A member of the Queensland State of Origin rugby league team, who wear maroon-coloured jerseys.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: strand, chromatic, colored, enisle, bordeaux, chu, roast, claret, burgundy, brown, cut, chestnut, runaway, zhu, cimarron, mestee
Translations
Every language
noun runaway slave
| Español | esclavo cimarrón, esclava cimarrona, quilombola, cimarrón |
|---|---|
| Português | quilombola |
| Français | marron, marronne, noir marron, nègre marron, négresse marronne, nègre libre |
| Deutsch | Maroon (Maroons pl, from English), Maroon-Männer, Maroon-Frauen |
| Русский | маро́н marón |
noun castaway — see also castaway
| 中文 | 放逐 fàngzhú, 流放 liúfàng |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Ausgesetzter, Ausgesetzte, Ausgestoßener, Ausgestoßene, Ausgestossener, Ausgestossene |
| Italiano | naufrago, naufraga |
| Română | naufragiat |
| Русский | изго́й izgój |
adj associated with Maroon culture, communities or peoples
| Français | marron |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Maroon-, der Maroons |
verb to abandon
| Français | abandonner |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | im Stich lassen, aussetzen, von der Außenwelt abschneiden |
| Italiano | abbandonare, mollare, piantare |
| Русский | бросать brosatʹ |
noun dark red, somewhat brownish colour
| Español | granate, castaño, bordó, burdeos, guinda |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 밤색 bamsaek |
| 日本語 | 栗色 kuriiro |
| 中文 | 栗色 lìsè |
| हिन्दी | महरून mahrūn, मैरून mairūn |
| Português | bordô |
| Français | marron pourpré, bordeaux |
| Deutsch | Rotbaun, Kastanienbraun, Weinrot, Bordeaux |
| Italiano | granata, bordeaux |
| Ελληνικά | καστανέρυθρο kastanérythro |
| Română | maro |
| Русский | тёмно-бордо́вый tjómno-bordóvyj, бордо́вый bordóvyj |
| Tiếng Việt | nâu hạt dẻ |
| العربية | كَسْتَنَائِيّ kastanāʔiyy |
| עברית | בּוֹרְדּוֹ bordó, עַרְמוֹנִי 'armoní |
adj color
| Español | castaño, granate, bordó, burdeos, guinda |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 栗色の kuriiro no |
| हिन्दी | महरून mahrūn, मैरून mairūn |
| Português | castanho, castanha |
| Français | marron pourpré, bordeaux |
| Deutsch | rotbraun, kastanienbraun, weinrot, bordeauxrot |
| Italiano | granate, rossastro, fulvo |
| Ελληνικά | καστανέρυθρος kastanérythros |
| Română | maro |
| Русский | тёмно-бордо́вый tjómno-bordóvyj |
| Tiếng Việt | nâu hạt dẻ, nâu sẫm |
Talk about this word "maroon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/maroon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. maroon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/maroon "maroon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/maroon.Cite this
@misc{maroon_2026,
title = {maroon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/maroon},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
