maverick English · revision 59

+ ==Etymology==

+ First recorded in 1867,^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989) originally meaning “a calf or yearling found without an owner's brand”,^(Etymonline) after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–1870), a Texas cattle owner who left the calves of his herd unbranded.^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) The sense “unconventional, independent person” is said to be attested by 1886, through the notion of “masterless”.^(Etymonline)

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+ The American Heritage Dictionary also considers as a possible source the English-born colonist Samuel Maverick (1602?–1676?).^(AHD)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}