# -roon [-oon] (quadroon, octaroon)



## Pselo

Does anybody know the meaning of the suffix   “roon”?
I have found in words like “quadroon” or “octoroon”.
Thanks in advance.


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## Tazzler

The etymology of "quadroon" is as follows: 1707, "offspring of a white and a mulatto," from Sp. _cuarteron_ (used chiefly of the offspring of a European and a mestizo), from _cuarto_ "fourth," from L. _quartus_ (see quart), so called because he or she has one quarter African blood. Altered by influence of words in _quadr-_.


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## Kotuku33

And in Spanish the suffix "ón" is an augmentative which means it's intensifying or making the thing bigger. "Octoroon" is defined as a person who is 1/8 of African ancestry. 

(I personally find it amazing that anybody might feel it necessary to keep track of these things when it comes to the ancestry of someone other than oneself.)


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## gengo

Kotuku33 said:


> (I personally find it amazing that anybody might feel it necessary to keep track of these things when it comes to the ancestry of someone other than oneself.)



These words are not used in modern English, but in both Spanish and English in the past, there were specific words to denote combinations down to 1/64th part.  I have seen a chart (with facial drawings) of such classifications in a museum somewhere in Lain America.  Back then, you wouldn't want to accidentally marry or socialize with someone having a few drops of the wrong blood!


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## Kotuku33

Oh yes, I'm well aware that it's a historical term - for the most part - and that it reflected racial constructions of the time. But it has never ceased to amaze me anyway.


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## Lis48

Pselo said:


> Does anybody know the meaning of the suffix “roon”?
> I have found in words like “quadroon” or “octoroon”.
> Thanks in advance.



I believe that etymologically, the suffix is actually "*oon*" not "roon." A version of -on with greater emphasis on the last syllable e.g. buff*oon*.
If a quadr+*oon *marries a white person, the offspring are called octor+*oon.*


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## Kotuku33

There is also doubl+*oon*​.


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## Fmorondo

En español existen, con el mismo sentido, cuarterón y ochavón



> *cuarterón1, na.*
> (Der. del lat. quartarĭus, y este der. de quartus, cuarto, por tener un cuarto de indio y tres de español).
> 1. adj. Nacido en América de mestizo y española, o de español y mestiza. U. t. c. s.
> *ochavón, na.*
> (De ochavo).
> 1. adj. Cuba. Se dice del mestizo nacido de blanco y cuarterona o de cuarterón y blanca.


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## Pselo

Thank you very much for the answers. 
In fact I was looking for the suffix better than for the meaning of the words.  I mistook thinking about “roon” when it was “oon”.


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## marymaroon

Pselo said:


> Does anybody know the meaning of the suffix   “roon”?
> I have found in words like “quadroon” or “octoroon”.
> Thanks in advance.


I believe, but I am looking for better references, that the "roon" suffix was borrowed from the West Indies Maroons. Let me know what you find.

I think also understanding the etymology and cultural contexts of "mar", "roon", and "coon" are important for sussing this out. English is, especially during Colonial America, a very fluid language.


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## bearded

Pselo said:


> I mistook thinking about “roon” when it was “oon”.


Although I'm not an expert, I think that in English the simple  -oon suffix has no special meaning. For example, words like _platoon _and _cartoon _do not seem to have anything in common - except perhaps for a foreign origin.


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## marymaroon

bearded said:


> Although I'm not an expert, I think that in English the simple  -oon suffix has no special meaning. For example, words like _platoon _and _cartoon _do not seem to have anything in common - except perhaps for a foreign origin.



If we look at "oon" for a bit we can see it does have foreign origin so to speak. It was how English pronounced the ending of some French words. Check out this link. 

https://uselessetymology.com/2018/01/10/the-etymology-of-cartoon/
"The _-oon_ ending is a common English adaptation of French and Italian words ending in _-on_ and _-one_ (e.g., balloon, buffoon, macaroon)."

That is not to say that "maroon" is French. Maroon, as a color translated to French is bordeaux. Maroon is not a French word. Marone, on the other hand is an Italian word but it refers to a dialect. It could be that an English speaker might pronounce "marone" and "maroon" but the meaning does not translate to American slavery in anyway.

This information leads me to believe that "oon" in not the suffix that will give us the information we are looking for in this case. This rabbit hole was nonetheless interesting and educational.


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## OBrasilo

marymaroon said:
			
		

> That is not to say that "maroon" is French. Maroon, as a color translated to French is bordeaux. Maroon is not a French word. Marone, on the other hand is an Italian word but it refers to a dialect. It could be that an English speaker might pronounce "marone" and "maroon" but the meaning does not translate to American slavery in anyway.


But there is also _marrone_, which is standard Italian for "brown".


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## marymaroon

OBrasilo said:


> But there is also _marrone_, which is standard Italian for "brown".



Good point. Brown is absolutely a way to distinguish a dark skinned slave. I think we are back on track here.


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## OBrasilo

There is a caveat, however, English _maroon_ comes from French _marron_ which comes from Spanish _cimarron_, which comes from a Taino word, at least according to Wiktionary, meanwhile Italian _marrone_ is apparently from a Greek word for chestnut, and therefore unrelated.


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## marymaroon

OBrasilo said:


> There is a caveat, however, English _maroon_ comes from French _marron_ which comes from Spanish _cimarron_, which comes from a Taino word, at least according to Wiktionary, meanwhile Italian _marrone_ is apparently from a Greek word for chestnut, and therefore unrelated.



A reminder of additional color references is helpful here and are absolutely related. We should also remember the West Indies Maroons were very brown and their history is very connected to slavery.


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