Maroon ( , ) is a

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

ish

crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, '' Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red col ...

color that takes its name from the French word , meaning chestnut. ''Marron'' is also one of the French translations for "brown". Terms describing interchangeable shades, with overlapping RGB ranges, include

burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

, claret, mulberry, and crimson. Different dictionaries define maroon differently. The ''Cambridge English Dictionary'' defines maroon as a dark reddish-purple color while its "American Dictionary" section defines maroon as dark brown-red. Lexico online dictionary defines maroon as a brownish-red. Similarly, Dictionary.com defines maroon as a dark brownish-red. The ''

Shorter Oxford English Dictionary The ''Shorter Oxford English Dictionary'' (''SOED'') is an English language dictionary published by the Oxford University Press. The SOED is a two-volume abridgement of the twenty-volume ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED''). Print editions ...

'' describes maroon as "a brownish-

or claret colour," while the Merriam-Webster online dictionary simply defines it as a dark red. In the sRGB color model for

additive color Additive color or additive mixing is a property of a color model that predicts the appearance of colors made by coincident component lights, i.e. the perceived color can be predicted by summing the numeric representations of the component col ...

representation, the web color called maroon is created by turning down the brightness of pure red to about one half. It is also noted that maroon is the complement of the web color called teal.

Etymology

''Maroon'' is French (" chestnut"), itself from the Italian that means also chestnut and

(but the color maroon in French is , which likely stems from the French wine of the same name) from the medieval Greek . The first recorded use of ''maroon'' as a color name in English was in 1789.

In culture

Religion * Vajrayana Buddhist monks, such as the

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

, wear maroon robes. *Maroon, along with golden yellow, is worn in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

devotees of the Black Nazarene, especially during its procession on 9 January. National symbols * Maroon and white are the colors of the Flag of Qatar. * Flag of Phoenix, Arizona is maroon and white. * Maroon, gold, teal and orange are the colors of the Flag of Sri Lanka * The

Flag of Latvia The national flag of Latvia () was used by independent Latvia from 1918 until the country was Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. Its use was suppressed during Soviet rule. On 27 February 1990, shortly befor ...

has sometimes been called maroon and white, although the officially declared colors were red and white, and in 2009 were amended to

carmine Carmine ()also called cochineal (when it is extracted from the Cochineal, cochineal insect), cochineal extract, crimson Lake pigment, lake, or carmine lake is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminium coordination complex, compl ...

and white. * Maroon was named as the official color of the state of

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, in November 2003. While the declared shade of maroon in sRGB is R=115, G=24, B=44, Queenslanders display the spirit of the state by wearing all shades of maroon at sporting and cultural events. Politics * Maroon is the color of the Dutch far-right political party Forum for Democracy. Military * The distinctive

maroon beret The maroon beret in a military configuration has been an international symbol of airborne forces since the World War II, Second World War. It was first officially introduced by the British Army in 1942, at the direction of Major-general (Uni ...

has been worn by many airborne forces around the world, starting with the British Parachute Regiment (nicknamed the "Maroon Machine") in 1942. It is sometimes referred to as the "red beret." * Historically, maroon was the distinguishing color of the

Caçadores The Caçadores (hunters) were the elite light infantry troops of the Portuguese Army, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Units of ''Caçadores'' – with features somewhat different from the original ones – continued to exist in the P ...

(rifle) regiments of the Portuguese Army. Business * Maroon is the signature color of the Japanese private rail company Hankyu Railway, decided by a vote of women customers in 1923. In the 1990s, Hankyu planned an alternative color as it was developing new vehicles. That plan was called off following opposition by local residents Music * The Famous Maroon Band * Maroon 5 * " Maroon" by

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

School colors
Many universities, colleges, high schools and other educational institutions have maroon as one of their ''school colors''. Popular combinations include maroon and white, maroon and grey, maroon and gold, and maroon and blue. * Maroon and White are the official school colors of

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

. * Maroon and White are the official school colors of

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

. * Maroon and Gold are the official school colors of Texas State University * Maroon and Gold are the official school colors of

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

. * Maroon and Gold are the official school colors of the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. * Maroon and Gold are the official school colors of the

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...

. * Maroon and Gold are the official school colors of

Shimer College Shimer Great Books School ( ) is a Classic_book#University_programs, Great Books college that is part of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Prior to 2017, Shimer was an independent, accredited college on the south side of Chicago, or ...

, representing Mount Carroll Seminary. * Maroon is the official school color of the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. The school also employs light and dark gray in its official primary color palette. * Maroon and White are the official school colors of Lower Merion High School. * Maroon and White are the official school colors of

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

and the name of the university's alma mater. * Maroon and White are the official school colors of

Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...

. * Maroon and White are the official school colors of

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...

. * Maroon and White are the official school colors of Littlefield High School * Maroon and White are the official school colors of University of Massachusetts Amherst * Maroon and Gold are the official school colors of

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

and the name of the university's fight song. * Maroon and Black are the official school colors of Cumberland University. * Maroon and Black are the official school colors of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. * Maroon and Orange are the official school colors of

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

. * Maroon and Orange are the official school colors of Crooms Academy of Information Technology. * Maroon and Gold are the official colors of

Elon University Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1889 as Elon College, the university is organized into six schools, most of which offer bachelor's degrees and several of which offer master's degrees or ...

. * Maroon and Blue are the official colors of Port Rex Technical High School in South Africa. * Maroon and Forest Green are the primary and complementary institutional colors of the University of the Philippines System. * Maroon and Gold are the school colors of the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA in the Philippines Sports
Sports teams often use maroon as one of their identifying colors, as a result, many have received the nickname "Maroons." * The University of Chicago Maroons have used the nickname (and the corresponding color) since a vote came at a meeting of students and faculty on May 5, 1894. * The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons competes in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and is based in their Diliman Campus. The moniker has been associated with their teams since the 1930s, except for a brief period in the 1960s when they were known as the Parrots. * The University of Perpetual Help Altas, playing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines) use the color as their primary uniform, derived from their school colors . * Heart of Midlothian F.C. have played in predominantly maroon colours since 1877, although they had maroon badge and trimmings in their first kit from their formation in 1874. * Official colour of Italian association football team Torino F.C. Club's fans are known as ''I Granata'' (''the Maroons'' in Italian). * Official colour of Argentina's association football team Club Atlético Lanús (''Los Granates''). * Maroons was the official nickname of the athletic teams representing Mississippi State College, now Mississippi State University from 1932 until 1961 when it was officially changed to the Bulldogs. Bulldogs had been used as an unofficial nickname as far back as 1905. * Maroons is also the common nickname for the Queensland Rugby League team when it plays against the Blues (the New South Welshmen) in an annual competition of three games known as the

State of Origin series The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two States and territories of Australia, Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales Blues and the Queensland ru ...

in Australia. * The "maroon and whites" is a nickname for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the Australian National Rugby League. * West Indies cricket team wears all maroon clothing in limited-overs cricket whilst in

Test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

, they wear maroon cricket caps. *

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

and

Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

wears primarily maroon clothing when playing home

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

matches. * In North American thoroughbred

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

, the number 14 horse uses a maroon saddle cloth with the number in yellow. * In pool, the color of the 7 and 15 billiard balls are traditionally maroon.

Commercial variations of maroon

Maroon (Crayola)

The color designated as ''maroon'' in Crayola crayons since 1958 (when it was renamed from ''dark red'') is a bright medium shade of maroon halfway between brown and

rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

Rich maroon (maroon (X11))

Displayed in the adjacent table is the color rich maroon, i.e. ''maroon'' as defined in the

X11 color names In computing, on the X Window System, X11 color names are represented in a simple text file, which maps certain strings to RGB color values. It was traditionally shipped with every X11 installation, hence the name, and is usually located in ''< ...

, which is much brighter and more toned toward

than the HTML/CSS maroon shown above. See the chart Color name clashes in the X11 color names article to see those colors that are different in HTML/CSS and X11.

Mystic maroon

Displayed at right is the color mystic maroon, one of the colors in the special set of metallic Crayola crayons called Silver Swirls, the colors of which were formulated by Crayola in 1990. Although this is supposed to be a metallic color, there is no mechanism for displaying metallic colors on a computer.

Dark red

The web color dark red is displayed in the adjacent color table.

UP Maroon

UP Maroon is the shade used by the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

as its primary color.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Color topics Shades of brown Shades of red Web colors Symbols of Queensland