Mac

Mac

Noun · /mæk/

Definition

(British informal) a mackintosh — a type of waterproof raincoat; (informal) a Macintosh computer made by Apple; (informal, chiefly North American) used as a form of address to a man whose name you don't know — similar to mate or pal.

Origin

(Raincoat sense) From mackintosh, named after Charles Macintosh (1766–1843), the Scottish chemist who patented the process of rubberising fabric to make it waterproof in 1823. The mackintosh coat became the generic term for any waterproof raincoat and was shortened to mac in British informal speech. (Computer sense) From Macintosh, the name Apple gave to its personal computer line from 1984. Apple named the computer after the McIntosh apple variety.