A large enclosure or barrack-like structure used to temporarily hold enslaved people or prisoners awaiting transport, particularly during the transatlantic slave trade.
From Spanish 'barracón' (large barracks), derived from 'barraca' (hut). The term entered English vocabulary during the 18th-19th centuries and carries deeply troubling historical associations with slavery and human trafficking.
This word carries one of history's darkest meanings—barracoons were holding pens where enslaved Africans were warehoused before being forced onto ships, and historians use this term to document the mechanical cruelty of the slave trade system.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.