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1. A person who shows independence of thought and action, especially by refusing to adhere to the policies of a group to which that person belongs.
2. 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.
adj.
Characterized by or displaying independence of thought and action:maverick politicians; a maverick decision.
[Possibly after Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870), American cattleman who left the calves in his herd unbranded .]
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.