What is the meaning and origin of ‘maverick’?
(Pradeep Kumar, Warangal)
First, let’s deal with the pronunciation of the word. The first syllable ‘mav’ rhymes with ‘have’, and the ‘rick’ rhymes with ‘trick’ and ‘brick’. The word can be pronounced ‘mav-rick’ with the stress on the first syllable. Some people pronounce the ‘e’ like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. When this happens, the word is pronounced ‘mav-e-rick’, with the stress, once again, on the first syllable.
A maverick is someone who is very independent; he doesn’t stick to the rules that others follow blindly. This individual is someone who makes his own rules.
*Please don’t make the mistake of listening to the ideas of a maverick.
Samuel Augustus Maverick was the name of a rancher who lived in Texas. In the 19th century, it was standard practice among people who owned cattle to brand their animals; cowboys used branding irons to burn the owner’s names into the flesh of the cows. Maverick, however, refused to brand his animals. He informed his fellow ranchers that all cows that were not branded were his!
S. UPENDRAN
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