What is a Maverick?
A maverick refers to a person who thinks and acts independently and does not conform to the basic rules of the society. A maverick takes action based on personal beliefs and not on somebody else’s prompting. Politicians are commonly associated with the word “maverick” as many of them defy common norms, stand for what they believe in, and fight for people’s rights.

The word maverick has its roots from a man named Samuel Augustus Maverick. In the early 1800s, this man was born of nobility and had a cattle ranch somewhere near San Antonio in Texas, USA. Stories were told that Mr. Maverick was not really good at taking care of his cattle and he didn’t put any tags or brands on his calves either. There were also stories though Mr. Maverick simply felt that it was cruel to put branding on his calves. Nevertheless, many of his calves back then would stray away from the herd and anybody who sees them would assume that they belong to Samuel or “Maverick”. The name somehow stuck to the stray calves and in dictionaries nowadays, you could still find the definition “unbranded calf” for the word “maverick”.

“Maverick” then evolved as a word to refer to what we know today as a person who seem like a non-conformist. In politics, this term is widely used and abused referring to people who express their views which are not necessarily the same with any political party. Some politicians even brag about their “maverick” ways to woo voters by telling them he/she has the courage to go beyond partisan politics and move to what’s best for the people.

‘Maverick’ referring to unbranded cattle or animal is still in use in some parts of the US today. But more people nowadays recognize that being a maverick means being some kind of a rebel.