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maverick

 - 3 dictionary results

mav⋅er⋅ick

  [mav-er-ik, mav-rik]
–noun
1. Southwestern U.S. an unbranded calf, cow, or steer, esp. an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother.
2. a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.
3. (initial capital letter) an electro-optically guided U.S. air-to-ground tactical missile for destroying tanks and other hardened targets at ranges up to 15 mi. (24 km).
Use maverick in a Sentence
Origin:
1865–70, Americanism; after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), Texas pioneer who left his calves unbranded

Synonyms:
2. nonconformist, independent, loner.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To maverick
mav·er·ick   (māv'ər-ĭk, māv'rĭk)   
n.  

  1. An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it.

  2. One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter.

adj.  Being independent in thought and action or exhibiting such independence: maverick politicians; a maverick decision.

[Possibly after Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870), American cattleman who left the calves in his herd unbranded .]
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

maverick 
1867, "calf or yearling found without an owner's brand," in allusion to Samuel A. Maverick (1803-70), Texas cattle owner who was negligent in branding his calves. Sense of "individualist, unconventional person" is first recorded 1886, via notion of "masterless."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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