maverick

mav•er•ick n. [countable]

Dialect Termsan animal that has not been branded, esp. a motherless calf.
one who thinks and acts independently:a political maverick against business as usual.

adj. [before a noun]

mav•er•ick n.

Dialect Terms[Southwestern U.S.]an unbranded calf, cow, or steer, esp. an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother.
a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.
Military(cap.) 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).

after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), Texas pioneer who left his calves unbranded 1865–70, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

maverick /ˈmævərɪk/ n

(in US and Canadian cattle-raising regions) an unbranded animal, esp a stray calf
- a person of independent or unorthodox views
- (as modifier): a maverick politician

Etymology: 19th Century: after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), Texas rancher, who did not brand his cattle

'maverick' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Collocations: a maverick [idea, experiment], [a famous, an intellectual, a popular] maverick, is a maverick [cop, detective, philosopher], more...

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