maquis

or Ma·quis

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

noun

, plural ma·quis [mah-, keez, ma-, m, a, -, kee].

1. the French underground movement, or Resistance, that combatted the Nazis in World War II.
2. Also called maquisard. a member of this movement.

maquis

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of maquis¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of maquis¹

C20: from French, from Italian macchia thicket, from 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

A view of the site of the first German assault on the Saint-Marcel Maquis on June 18, 1944, in Saint-Marcel, France.

From New York Times

Overgrown with moss and ivy, the stone farm buildings were the former headquarters of the Saint-Marcel Maquis — thousands of local French resistance fighters who had gathered in response to coded Allied calls over BBC radio to prepare for an invasion.

From New York Times

Overgrown with moss and ivy, the stone farm buildings were the former headquarters of the Saint-Marcel Maquis — thousands of local French resistance fighters who had gathered in response to coded Allied calls over BBC radio to prepare for an invasion.

From New York Times

A view of the site of the first German assault on the Saint-Marcel Maquis on June 18, 1944, in Saint-Marcel, France.

From New York Times