maquis

American  

[mah-kee, ma-, ma-kee] / mɑˈki, mæ-, maˈki /

Or Maquis

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.

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maquis British  

/ 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

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Etymology

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

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.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2024

The original maquis register that lists the names of Protestants and Jews all jumbled up together stands as testament to that.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2021

Wild donkeys watched us impassively from the roadside; the surrounding meadows were dyed red and yellow where poppies and daisies rioted among maquis trees and gauzy tufts of wild fennel.

From Washington Post • Aug. 13, 2015

He fought with the maquis in France and with a group of girl partisans in Italy.

From Time Magazine Archive

"They'll think you lost your way in the maquis, that's all."

From Colomba by Loyd, Lady Mary Sophia (Hely-Hutchinson)