maverick

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Unbranded.

   Occasionally some young men who have no cattle of their own will take part in these expeditions, or they will give their services by the year to receive a pro rata of all the maverick cattle that may be found. [Quoted from The Texas New Yorker, pages 110–111.]

2. 2
   adj

   Showing independence in thoughts or actions.

   He made a maverick decision.  She is such a maverick person.

3. 3
   noun

   An unbranded range animal.

   In this distribution, care is taken to leave not only those which bear the owner's mark and brand, but his due proportion of the mavericks* that have been found upon the expedition. [footnote: *The term "maverick" is applied in this country to all animals that have neither mark nor brand upon them, and originated in this way:[…]]

4. 4
   noun

   One who is unconventional or does not abide by rules.

   Among historians he was a maverick because of his belief that history is meaningless.

5. 5
   noun

   One who creates or uses controversial or unconventional ideas or practices.

   We then drift back into our old habits, glorify efficiency, and smile knowingly at the mavericks within the faculty who want the administration to take democracy seriously.

6. 6
   noun

   A person in the military who became an officer by going to college while on active duty as an enlisted person.

   They had been working for and with each other for a very long period and their tolerance for “mavericks” was very high, especially if these mavericks continued to get promoted.

7. 7
   verb

   To take an unbranded range animal.

   The court permitted the State to prove, over defendant's objections, that Thedford met Noon Tucker and Calvery driving the yearling over to Bachelor's for delivery. Thedford inquired of Noon “if that [meaning the yearling] was one he had mavericked?”

8. 8
   adj

   independent in behavior or thought

Etymology

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”.