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maquisard

 - 5 dictionary results

ma⋅qui⋅sard

  [mak-ee-zahrd; Fr. ma-kee-zar]
Use maquisard in a Sentence
–noun, plural -sards  [-zahrdz; Fr. -zar] .
maquis (def. 2).
Origin:
< F; see maquis, -ard

ma⋅quis

  [mah-kee, ma-; Fr. ma-kee]
–noun, plural -quis  [-keez; Fr. -kee] .
1. the French underground movement, or Resistance, that combatted the Nazis in World War II.
2. Also called maquisard. a member of this movement.
Also, Ma⋅quis.

Origin:
1940–45; < F, special use of maquis, makis wild, bushy land < It (Corsican dial.) macchie (with F -is for -ie), pl. of macchia a thicket < L macula spot
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To maquisard
ma·quis   (mā-kē')   
n.   pl. maquis

  1. A dense growth of small trees and shrubs in the Mediterranean area.

  2. Maquis

    1. A member of the French underground organization that fought against the German occupation forces during World War II; a member of the Resistance. Also called Maquisard.

    2. This French underground organization.


[French, from Italian macchie, pl. of macchia, thicket, spot; see maquette.]
Ma·qui·sard   (māk'ē-zärd', -zär')   
n.  See maquis.

[French, from maquis, the French underground; see maquis.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

maquis 
1858, from Fr., "undergrowth, shrub," esp. in ref. to the dense scrub of certain Mediterranean coastal regions, long the haunts of outlaws and fugitives, from It. macchia "spot," from L. macula "spot, stain;" the landscapes from their mottled appearance. Used figuratively of Fr. resistance in World War II (1944).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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