maquis

or Ma·quis

[ mah-kee, ma-; French ma-kee ]

/ mɑˈki, mæ-; French maˈki /

noun, plural ma·quis [mah-keez, ma-; French ma-kee] /mɑˈkiz, mæ-; French maˈki/.

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

Also called maquisard. a member of this movement.

Words nearby maquis

maputo, maquette, maqui, maquiladora, maquillage, maquis, maquisard, mar, mar del plata, mar-hawk, mar.

Origin of maquis

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

Definition for maquis (2 of 2)

maqui

[ mah-kee ]

/ ˈmɑ ki /

noun

an evergreen shrub, Aristotelia chilensis, of Chile, having toothed, oblong leaves, greenish-white flowers, and purple berries, grown as an ornamental in S California.

Origin of maqui

1695–1705; < Spanish < Araucanian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for maquis

You must get on his back, and come with me to the Stazzona maquis.
Columba|Prosper Merimee
Startled by the firing, a horse which had been wandering through the maquis, was really coming close up to them.
Columba|Prosper Merimee
Natural species include the Mediterranean scrubby underbrush, maquis, and an assortment of flowering plants and shrubs.
Area Handbook for Bulgaria|Eugene K. Keefe, Violeta D. Baluyut, William Giloane, Anne K. Long, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
The road, or rather the very slight path, which he was following, ran through a maquis that had been lately burned.
Columba|Prosper Merimee

We left Xavier Massoni escaping into the maquis, but slightly wounded in the thigh.
Rambles in the Islands of Corsica and Sardinia|Thomas Forester

British Dictionary definitions for maquis

maquis

/ (mɑːˈkiː) /

noun plural -quis (-ˈkiː)

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

(often capital)

the French underground movement that fought against the German occupying forces in World War II
a member of this movement

Word Origin for maquis

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012