Origin and history of maroon

maroon(n.)

"very dark red or crimson color," 1791 (marone), from French couleur marron, the color of a marron "chestnut," the large sweet chestnut of southern Europe (maroon in that sense was used in English from 1590s), from the dialect of Lyons, ultimately from a word in a pre-Roman language, perhaps Ligurian; or from Greek maraon "sweet chestnut."

maroon(v.)

"put ashore on a desolate island or coast" by way of punishment, 1724 (implied in marooning), earlier "to be lost in the wild" (1690s); from maroon, maron (n.) "fugitive black slave living in the wilder parts of Dutch Guyana or Jamaica and other West Indies islands" (1660s), earlier symeron (1620s), from French marron, simarron, said to be a corruption of Spanish cimmaron "wild, untamed, unruly, fugitive" (as in Cuban negro cimarron "a fugitive black slave"). This is from Old Spanish cimarra "thicket," which is probably from cima "summit, top" (from Latin cyma "sprout"), and the notion is of living wild in the mountains. Related: Marooned.

also from 1724

Entries linking to maroon

cimarron(n.)

"bighorn, Rocky Mountain sheep," 1850, from American Spanish, from an adjective, literally "wild, unruly;" see maroon (v.). 

Seminole(n.)

member of a native people, formerly of Florida, allied with the Creeks, 1763, Semiolilies (plural); 1774, Siminole, from Creek (Muskogean) simano:li, earlier simalo:ni "wild, untamed, runaway," from American Spanish cimarron (see maroon (v.)). They fought wars against U.S. troops 1817-18 and 1835-42, after which they largely were removed to Indian Territory (Oklahoma).

    Trends of maroon

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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    strand
    "shore, beach, land abutting a body of water," Middle English stronde, from Old English strand "sea-shore," from Proto-Germanic *strandaz (source also of Danish and Swedish strand "beach, shore, strand," Old Norse strönd "border, edge, shore," Old Frisian strond, Middle Dutch str
    red
    A very dark red, if pure or crimson, is called maroon; if brownish, chestnut or chocolate....
    forsake
    Old English forsacan "object to, oppose, refuse, deny; give up, renounce" (past tense forsoc, past participle forsacen), from for- "completely" + sacan "to struggle, dispute, wrangle; accuse, blame" (see sake (n.1)). Related: Forsaking. Similar formation in Old Saxon farsakan, Du
    isolate
    "to set or place apart, to detach so as to make alone," by 1786, a back-formation from isolated (q.v.). The translation of this work is well performed, excepting that fault from which few translations are wholly exempt, and which is daily tending to corrupt our language, the ado
    desolate
    mid-14c., of persons, "disconsolate, miserable, overwhelmed with grief, deprived of comfort;" late 14c., of persons, "without companions, solitary, lonely;" also, of places, "uninhabited, abandoned," from Latin desolatus, past participle of desolare "leave alone, desert," from de
    desert
    c. 1600, transitive, "to leave, abandon," either in a good or bad sense; 1640s, in reference to military service or duty, "leave without permission;" from French déserter "cause to leave," literally "undo or sever connection," from Late Latin desertare, frequentative of Latin des
    pyrotechnic
    1704, "of or pertaining to the use of fire" (a sense now obsolete); 1825, "of or pertaining to fireworks and the art of making them," from pyrotechny "the manufacture and use of gunpowder" (1570s), from pyro- "fire" + Latinized form of Greek tekhnē "art" (see techno-). Figurative
    abandon
    late 14c., "to give up (something) absolutely, relinquish control, give over utterly;" also reflexively, "surrender (oneself), yield (oneself) utterly" (to religion, fornication, etc.), from Old French abandonner "surrender, release; give freely, permit," also reflexive, "devote
    insulate
    1530s, "make into an island," from Late Latin insulatus "made like an island," from insula "island" (see isle). Sense of "place in an isolated situation, cause (someone or something) to be detached from surroundings" is from 1785. Electrical/chemical sense of "block from electric
    confer
    1530s, "examine by comparison;" 1540s (intransitive) "consult together on some special subject;" 1560s, "bestow as a gift or permanent possession," from Old French conférer (14c.) "to give; to converse; to compare," from Latin conferre "to bring together," figuratively "to compar

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