Marooning

From Free net encyclopedia

For the 1969 film see Marooned. For the Pink Floyd song see Marooned.

Marooning is the act of leaving someone behind intentionally in an uninhabited area. The word is in use since 1724, and is derived from maroon, a fugitive slave. It could be a corruption of Spanish cimarron "wild". The practice was a penalty for crewmen, or for captains at the hands of a mutineering crew. Pirates may have used marooning as well, and certainly do so quite frequently in fiction. During the late 18th century in the American South, "marooning" took on a humorous additional meaning describing an extended camping-out picnic over a period of several days (Oxford English Dictionary).

See also

Template:Water-stub