maraud

pronunciation

How to pronounce maraud in British English: UK [mə'rɔ:d]word uk audio image

How to pronounce maraud in American English: US [məˈrɔd] word us audio image

  • Noun:
    a sudden short attack
  • Verb:
    raid and rove in search of booty

Word Origin

maraud (v.)
1690s, from French marauder (17c.), from Middle French maraud "rascal" (15c.), of unknown origin, perhaps from French dialectal maraud "tomcat," echoic of its cry. A word popularized in several languages during the Thirty Years War (Spanish merodear, German marodiren, marodieren "to maraud," marodebruder "straggler, deserter") by punning association with Count Mérode, imperialist general. Related: Marauded; marauding.