maquis

Or Ma·quis

[mah-kee, ma-, ma-kee]

noun

plural

maquis 

1. the French underground movement, or Resistance, that combatted the Nazis in World War II.

2. Also called maquisard. a member of this movement.

maquis

/ mɑːˈkiː /

noun

1. shrubby mostly evergreen vegetation found in coastal regions of the Mediterranean: includes myrtles, heaths, arbutus, cork oak, and ilex

2. (often capital)

   1. the French underground movement that fought against the German occupying forces in World War II

   2. a member of this movement

Word History and Origins

Origin of maquis¹

1940–45; < French, special use of maquis, makis wild, bushy land < Italian (Corsican dial.) macchie (with French -is for -ie ), plural of macchia a thicket < Latin macula spot

Word History and Origins

Origin of maquis¹

C20: from French, from Italian macchia thicket, from Latin macula spot

Example Sentences

French President Emmanuel Macron paid homage to the Saint Marcel maquis, a force of French Resistance fighters and the French SAS paratroopers, at an event in Plumelec, Brittany.

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Overgrown with moss and ivy, the stone farm buildings were the former headquarters of the Saint-Marcel Maquis — thousands of local French resistance fighters who had gathered in response to coded Allied calls over BBC radio to prepare for an invasion.

Read more on New York Times

A view of the site of the first German assault on the Saint-Marcel Maquis on June 18, 1944, in Saint-Marcel, France.

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Its unpaved alleys and broad avenues are still filled with the drone of sewing machines, the smell of grilled fish in open-air restaurants known as “maquis,” and the haze of exhaust fumes spewing out of brightly colored motorized tricycles.

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The last time we saw Ro, she had become a traitor to the Federation by joining the Maquis in their fight against the Cardassians.

Read more on New York Times