Mackintosh
/ˈmækɪntɒʃ/noun
A waterproof raincoat made from rubberized fabric, or a similar garment.
Did you know?The garment was named after Scottish chemist Charles Macintosh, whose 1820s waterproofing method sandwiched rubber solution between layers of fabric; the spelling later shifted toward “Mackintosh.”
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic
Mac an Toisich
“Son of the chief or leader; the ancestral phrase behind the Scottish surname.”
Medieval Scotland
Scottish Gaelic
Mac an Toisich
“A hereditary surname associated with the Macintosh clan.”
18th Century
Scots
MacIntosh
“An anglicized form of the Gaelic family name.”
1823
English
Mackintosh
“The surname of Scottish chemist Charles Macintosh, who patented a waterproof fabric process.”
19th Century
English
mackintosh
“A waterproof coat made from rubberized or treated fabric.”
Modern English
English
mackintosh
“A raincoat, often shortened informally to “mac.””