Added 9 October 2026
maverick
/ˈmævəɹɪk/ adjective
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about maverick at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
noun
- An unbranded range animal. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
- Anything dishonestly obtained.
-
One who is unconventional or does not abide by rules.
Among historians he was a maverick because of his belief that history is meaningless.
verb
Origin
Named after Texan lawyer and politician Samuel Maverick (1803–1870), who refused to brand his cattle. For probable origin and meaning, see Maverick. The poker noun sense (“a queen and a jack as a starting hand in Texas hold ’em”) may be from the theme song of the US Western television series Maverick (1957–1962), which says of the eponymous protagonist that “[g]amblin’ is his game” and that he is “livin’ on jacks and queens”.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)