marmortinto 
century in decorating walls, ceilings, etc., in 
imitation of marble. It consisted in depositing on a 
ground of an adhesive nature marble-dust or -powder, ar- 
ranged in the form of the veins of marble, or sometimes 
in ornamental patterns. 
marmose (mar'mos), n. [< F. marmose (Buf- 
fon); origin not ascertained; no appar. con- 
nection with marmoset.'] One of several small 
Marmose (Didilphys darsiffera). 
South American opossums which have the 
pouch rudimentary and carry the young on 
the back. Such are Didelphys dorsigera of Surinam, of 
the size of a rat, the still smaller D. murina, and other 
species. 
marmoset (mar'mo-zet), n. [Formerly also 
marmoset; < ME. marmeset, "beeste, zinzipha- 
lus, cenozephalus [cynocephalus] , mammonetus, 
marmonetiis" (Prompt. Parv., p. 327), marmo- 
sette, a kind of ape (mentioned by Mandeville), 
also mermoyse (Caxton) ; < OF. marmoset, mar- 
motiset, F. marmouset, the cock of a cistern or 
fountain, an antic figure, a puppet, orig. a mar- 
ble figure as an ornament to a fountain, irreg. 
with change of orig. r to s, as in chaire ( > chaise : 
see chair, chaise), < ML. marmoretmn, a marble 
figure, < L. marmor, marble : see marble. The 
application of marmoset, 'an antic figure,' to 
an ape was prob. assisted by association with 
F. marmot, = It. marmotta, a marmoset, a mon- 
key.] If. A little ape or monkey. 
[I will] instruct thee how 
To snare the nimble marmoset. 
Shak., Tempest, ii. 2. 174. 
2. Now, specifically, a small squirrel-like South 
American monkey of the family HapaUAce, or 
Mididce (which see for technical characters). 
There are numerous species, referred to two leading 
genera, Hapale and Midas, and known by many names, 
as squirrel-monkeys, oustitis, tamarins, etc. They are the 
smallest of the monkey tribe, ranging from a few inches 
to a foot in length, with a long, bushy, non-prehensile tail, 
and thick, soft, silky or woolly fur, in some species length- 
ened into conspicuous ear-tufts or a kind of mane. The 
coloration is extremely variable. The thumb of the hand 
is not opposable, but the inner toe of the hind foot serves 
as a thumb, and has a flat nail, all the other digits of both 
extremities being armed with sharp claws of great service 
in climbing. Marmosets are confined to tropical America, 
having their center of abundance in northern South Amer- 
ica; they live in the woods, and feed chiefly upon insects. 
They are extremely sensitive to cold, but with proper care 
may be kept in confinement, and make amusing pets, 
though their intelligence is low. Characteristic examples 
are the common black-eared marmoset, Hapale jacchws, 
and the marakina or tamarin, Midas rosalia. See cut 
under Hapale. 
3f. An ugly little fellow; a conceited 
py-" 
Some mincing marmoset, 
Made all of clothes and face. 
B. Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, iii. 2. 
marmot (mar 'mot), n. [Formerly marmotto 
(< It. ) ; = D. marmot{-dier), < F. marmotte = Sp. 
Pg. marmota, < It. marmotto, marmotta, mar- 
montana, < Romausch murmont = Sw. dial, mur- 
met, < OHG. murmunto, muremunto, murmunti, 
murmenti, MHG. murmendin, Gr. murmel(-tliier) 
= Dan. mnrmel(-dyr) = Sw. murmel(-djur) ; 
variously altered from ML. mus montanus, a 
marmot, lit. ' mountain mouse ' : see mouse and 
mountain."] 1. A rodent quadruped of the ge- 
nus Arctomys; a bear-mouse, ground-hog, or 
woodchuck. There are several species, of Europe, Asia, 
and North America ; they are the largest living represen- 
tatives of the Sciuridce, or squirrel family, of stout thick- 
set form, with short bushy tail. They are terrestrial and 
fossorial, living in underground burrows, generally in open 
ground and often in communities, and hibernate in winter. 
The species to which the name was originally given is Arc- 
tomys marmotta or. A. alpinus. inhabiting the Alps and Pyre- 
nees. A. bobac is the Asiatic marmot, occurring also in 
3636 
parts of Europe, especially in Russia. North America 
has at least three species: the common woodchuck or 
ground-hog, A. monax, found abundantly in many part* of 
the United States and Canada; the yellow-bellied marmot 
of the Rocky Mountains, A. Jlaviveittris ; and the large 
hoary marmot orwhistler of northwestern America, A. pru- 
inosus. Besides the foregoing, some of the larger species 
of the related genera Cynomys and SpernwphUus, which 
include the prairie-dogs and marmot-squirrels, are some- 
times called marmots. See cut under Arctomys. 
2. The Cape cony, Hyrax capensis : a misnomer. 
Kolbe,Vosmaer,B'uffon,&to Earless marmot, the 
suslik, SpermophUus citUlus. 
Marmota (mar'mo-ta), . [NL., < marmot.] 
Same as Arctomys.' Slumcubach. 
marmot-squirrel (mar'mot-skwur"el), . Any 
animal of the genus Spermophilus ; some kind 
of suslik. The species are numerous, especially in North 
America ; and, as is implied in the name, they are interme- 
diate in all respects between the arboreal squirrels on the 
one hand and the strictly terrestrial marmots on the other. 
marmozett, n. An obsolete form of marmoset. 
maronet (ma-ron'), n. An obsolete spelling of 
maroon^-. 
Maronist (mar'o-nist), n. [< L. Maro(n-), the 
family name of Virgil, + -ist.] A disciple of 
Virgil (PubliusVergilius Maro); aVirgilian stu- 
dent or scholar. 
Like some imperious Maronist. 
Bp. Hall, Satires, I. vi. 7. (Davies.) 
Maronite (mar'o-nit), n. [=F. Maronite; as 
Maron (see def.) + -ife 2 .] One of a body of 
Syriac Christians dwelling chiefly in the moun- 
tains of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon. They are 
named from St. Maron, a Syrian monk (about A. D. 400), or 
less probably from John Maron, patriarch of the sect in the 
seventh century. The Maronites were originally Monothe- 
lites, but they entered into a partial union with the Ro- 
man Catholic Church in 1182, which after an interruption 
was made closer in 1445 and again in 1596. They still re- 
tain their own patriarchate of Antioch (now seated atKa- 
nobin), their Syriac liturgy (although Arabic is now then 1 
vernacular tongue), the marriage of priests, their tradition- 
al fast-days, and the use of both elements in lay commu- 
nion. The Maronites as a tribe were formerly under the 
same local government as the Druses, with whom they have 
had some bloody conflicts. In 1861, after a severe out- 
break, they were put under a separate governor. 
maroon 1 (ma-ron'), a. and n. [Formerly ma- 
rone; also, as F. , marron ; < F. marron, & chest- 
nut, chestnut-color, also a fire-cracker, maroon 
(II., 4), < It. marrone, formerly marone, a chest- 
nut; origin unknown. Cf . MGr. uapaov or jiapanr, 
the fruit of the cornel-tree.] I. a. Very dark 
crimson or red. See II., 2. Maroon oxli Same 
as purple brown (which see, under brown). 
II. n. 1. A kind of sweet chestnut produced 
in southern Europe, and known elsewhere as 
the French or Italian chestnut, having a single 
kernel and attaining a large size from the fact 
that the other two seeds of the involucre or bur 
are abortive. It is largely used for food by the 
poor in the countries where it is produced. 
A. I will eate three or foure chestnuts ; whatwillyoudo? 
P. They like me so, so ... if they be marones or great 
chestnuts, they would be the better. 
Benvenuto, Passenger's Dialogues (1612). (Nares.) 
2. A generic name for any pure or crimson red 
of very low luminosity. The color of a chest- 
nut is yellower. 3. In dyeing, a coal-tar color- 
ing matter obtained by purifying the resinous 
matters formed in the manufacture of magen- 
ta. 4. In pyrotechnics, a small cubical box of 
pasteboard filled with gunpowder and wrapped 
round with two or three layers of strong twine, 
used to imitate the report of a cannon. Maroons 
are primed with a short piece of quick-match, inserted in 
a hole punctured in one of the corners, and are usually ex- 
ploded in batteries to produce the effect of cannonading, 
as in combinations of fireworks. Also marron. 
pup- Some ol these sounds were produced by rockets, some 
by a 24-pound howitzer, and some by an 8-inch maroon. 
John Tyndall, in Pop. Sci. Mo., July, 1878, p. 282. 
Purple maroon, a very dark magenta or crimson color. 
A color-disk composed of 90 parts of velvet-black, 5 of pure 
red, and 5 of artificial ultramarine gives a purple maroon. 
maroon 2 (ma-ron'), n. and a. [Also rarely 
marroon; < F. marron, abbr. by apheresis (the 
syllable si- being perhaps mistaken for a F. 
word) < simarron (> obs. E. symaron) for * ci- 
marron, < Sp. cimarron (= Pg. cimarr&o), wild, 
unruly, fugitive (Cuban negro cimarron, or sim- 
ply cimarron, a fugitive negro), appar. orig. 
'living on the mountain-tops,' < cima (= Pg. It. 
cima = F. cime), a mountain-top, orig. a sprout, 
twig, < L. cyma, a sprout, < Gr. in>/ia, a sprout: 
see cyma, cyme."] I. . 1. One of a class of 
negroes, originally fugitive slaves, living in 
the wilder parts of Jamaica and Dutch Guiana. 
In both of these localities they were often at war with the 
whites, but were never fully subdued ; and in the latter 
country, where they are called bush-negroes, they still 
form a large independent community professing a mon- 
grel species of paganism. Maroons are found also in some 
of the other West Indian islands. 
marquee 
2. One who is left on a desolate island as a pun- 
ishment. 
"I'm Ben Gunn, I am," replied the maroon, wriggling 
like an eel in his embarrassment. 
M. L. Stevenson, Treasure Island, xxxiii. 
3. [< maroon 2 , v.~\ A hunting- or fishing-trip or 
-excursion. [Southern U. S.] 
II. a. Same as feral 1 , 2. 
maroon 2 (ma-ron'), t>. [<maroon 2 , n.] I. trans. 
To put ashore and leave on a desolate island 
byway of punishment, as was done by the buc- 
aneers, etc. 
It was between ten a Clock and one when I began to 
find that I was (as we call it, I suppose from the Spaniards) 
Marooned, or Lost, and quite out of the Hearing of my 
Comrades Guns. Dampier, Voyages, II. ii. 84. 
II. intrans. In the southern United States, 
to camp out after the manner of the West 
Indian maroons; make a pleasure-excursion 
of some duration, with provision for living in 
camp. 
"Really, this is a fine country," said Robert, referring 
.... to the abundant marooning dinner. 
Goulding, Young Maroon ers, p. 105. 
A marooning party ... is a party made up to pass sev- 
eral days on the shore or in the country. 
Bartlett, Americanisms, p. 384. 
marooner (ma-ro'ner), . 1. A runaway slave; 
a maroon. 
On the south shore dwelt a marooner, that modestly 
called himself a hermit. Byrd, Westover Papers, p. 13. 
2. One who goes marooning ; a member of a 
marooning party. See maroon?, v. i. [South- 
ern U. S.] 
maroquint (mar-o-ken'), n. [F.: see moroccu.] 
Morocco ; goat's leather. 
At the end of it [the gallery] is the Duke of Orlean's 
library, well furnished w"> excellent bookes, all bound in 
maroquin and gilded. Evelyn, Diary, April 1, 1644. 
A large sofa covered with black maroquin. 
Smollett, tr. of Gil Bias, x. 7. 
marotte (ma-rot'), . [F.] A fool's bauble. 
marplot (mar'plot), . [< marl, Vi> + <yhj. 
plot%.] One who by officious interference 
mars or defeats a design or plot; one who 
blunderingly hinders the success of any un- 
dertaking or project. 
If we will not be mar-plots with our miserable interfer- 
ences, the work, the society, letters, arts, science, religion 
of men would go on far better than now. 
Emerson, Spiritual Laws, Essays, 1st ser., p. 125. 
Marprelate controversy. [The name Mar- 
prelate was assumed as indicating the animus 
of the writers ; < mar\v., + obj. prelate."} Adis- 
cussion carried on in a series of pamphlets at- 
tacking prelacy, issued in England by the Pu- 
ritans "in 1588-9, at the cost and charge" of 
one bearing the pseudonym of "Martin Mar- 
prelate, gent." These pamphlets were printed secretly, 
the press used for the purpose being carried about from 
place to place to escape seizure. John Penry, Udall, 
and others are supposed to have been the writers of the 
tracts. 
marque (mark), n. [< OF. marque, merque, F. 
marque (ML. marca, marcha), seizure or arrest 
by warrant (lettre de marque, a warrant of seiz- 
ure), a particular use of marque, a mark, stamp, 
official stamp: see marl- 1 .'] Seizure Letter of 
marque, usually in the plural, letters of marque (formerly 
also letters of mark or mart, also scripts of mart), or letters 
of marque and reprisal, (a) Originally, a commission 
grantedby the supreme authority of a state to a subject, 
empowering him to enter an enemy's territory and capture 
the goods or persons of the enemy in return for goods or 
persons taken by him. (6) In present usage, a license or 
extraordinary commission granted by a sovereign or the 
supreme power of a state to its citizens to make reprisals 
at sea on the subjects of another, under pretense of indem- 
nification for injuries received that is, a license to en- 
gage in privateering. Letters of marque were abolished 
among European nations by the treaty of Paris of 1856. 
The United States declined to accede to this agreement, 
but proposed that all innocent private property at sea be 
exempt from seizure by public armed vessels in time of war. 
Divers Letters of Mart are granted our Merchants, and 
Letters of Mart are commonly the Forerunners of a War. 
Hou-ell, Letters, I. iv. 3. 
All men of war, with scripts of mart that went, 
And had command the coast of France to keep, 
The coming of a navy to prevent. 
Drayton, Battle of Agincourt. (Nares.) 
Hence (c) A private vessel commissioned to attack and 
capture the vessels of an enemy ; a privateer. 
marquee (mar-ke'), n. [Also markee; an as- 
sumed sing, from the supposed pi. *marquees, 
an E. spelling of F. marquise, an awning or 
canopy, as over a doorway or an entrance. < 
marquise, a marchioness: see marquise.] A 
tent of unusual size and elaborateness ; an offi- 
cer's field-tent ; hence, a large tent or wooden 
structure erected for a temporary purpose, such 
as to accommodate a dinner-party on some pub- 
lic occasion. 
