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Definition of "maquis" [maquis]

  • A dense growth of small trees and shrubs in the Mediterranean area. (noun)
  • A member of the French underground organization that fought against the German occupation forces during World War II; a member of the Resistance. Also called Maquisard. (noun)
  • This French underground organization. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "maquis" in a sentence
  • "Today, the most widespread vegetation type is hard-leafed or sclerophyllus shrublands called maquis or matorral, which include representatives from the plant genera Juniperus, Myrtus, Olea, Phillyrea, Pistacia, and Quercus."
  • "The lowest elevations are distinguished by the predominance of sclerophyllous evergreen and semi-deciduous oak forests (Quercus coccifera, Q. brachyphylla), "maquis" of carob (Ceratonia siliqua), junipers (Juniperus phoenicea), and tree-spurge (Euphorbia dendroides)."
  • "Human impact, mainly from grazing, fires, and firewood collection, has transformed the majority of the existing wild olive and carob plant communities into secondary dense shrubs or "maquis" or into agroforestry landscapes composed of scattered trees on grasslands or crops."