n.
Pronunciation: ma- ' k ē , mä-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural ma · quis \ - ' k ē (z) \
Etymology: French, from Italian macchie, plural of macchia thicket, sketch, spot
Date: 1858
1 : thick scrubby evergreen underbrush of Mediterranean shores also : an area of such underbrush
2 often capitalized a : a guerrilla fighter in the French underground during World War II b : a band of maquis