Contextualizebeta

maven

noun
/ˈmeɪvn̩/UK/ˈmeɪv(ə)n/US

Etymology

From Yiddish מבֿין (meyvn, “connoisseur, expert, know-it-all”), from Hebrew מֵבִין (mevín, “one who understands, connoisseur, expert”), from הֵבִין (hevín, “to understand”). The word is said to have been popularized by its use in an advertising campaign for Vita Herring launched in the United States in 1964, which had a character called the “beloved [herring] maven” promoting the product.

  1. derived from מֵבִין — “one who understands, connoisseur, expert”
  2. borrowed from מבֿין — “connoisseur, expert, know-it-all”

Definitions

  1. An expert in a given field

    An expert in a given field; also, a person who is interested in and knowledgeable about a particular activity or thing; an aficionado.

    • Connectors know people—lots of people. Mavens know about things. They know, or find out first, what is going on. Connectors, says [Malcolm] Gladwell, need mavens to tell them what to buzz about.
    • The goal for any media company is to be a maven—and therefore highly adept at using multiple channels of social media communication well.

  2. Acronym of Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission, a space probe designed to…

    Acronym of Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission, a space probe designed to investigate the Martian climate.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for maven. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA