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mackintosh

a full-length waterproof raincoat

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Where does the word "mackintosh" come from? It comes from Scottish Gaelic Mac an Tòisich, and was adopted directly into English (1836).

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Where does the word "mackintosh" come from? It comes from Scottish Gaelic Mac an Tòisich, and was adopted directly into English (1836).

Mackintosh’s story begins in Scottish Gaelic: Mac an Tòisich meant “son of the chief.” 'son of the toiseach (chieftain)', the name of a Highland clan. It reached English by 1836 as mackintosh. Glasgow chemist Charles Macintosh patented a waterproof cloth of two fabrics bonded with rubber dissolved in naphtha in 1823; the raincoats named after him gained an extra k. Today, mackintosh means a full-length waterproof raincoat.

  1. Stage 1 · Scottish Gaelic · medieval Mac an Tòisich "son of the chief", 'son of the toiseach (chieftain)', the name of a Highland clan.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1836 mackintosh "rubberised raincoat", Glasgow chemist Charles Macintosh patented a waterproof cloth of two fabrics bonded with rubber dissolved in naphtha in 1823; the raincoats named after him gained an extra k.

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