mackintosh

IPA/ˈmækɪntɒʃ/
KK[mˈækəntˌɑʃ]IPA/ˈmækɪntɑːʃ/

mackintosh — noun

  • mackintoshsingular
  • mackintoshesplural

1. a long coat made from rubberized cloth or similar waterproof material that keeps

1.nounB2
Definition

a long coat made from rubberized cloth or similar waterproof material that keeps the wearer dry in heavy rain.

Example

Adisa pulled on her green mackintosh before walking the dog along the wet riverside path.

pull/put on a mackintosh: typical verb collocation

The headmaster always wore a long black mackintosh on rainy assembly mornings.

modifier + mackintosh: colour and length

Common collocations
  • green mackintosh
  • long mackintosh
  • black mackintosh
  • wear a mackintosh
  • put on a mackintosh
  • folding mackintosh
Synonyms
  • raincoat

    the everyday neutral word; works in any variety of English and is not tied to rubberized fabric

  • mac

    informal British shortening of mackintosh; far more common in modern speech

  • anorak

    shorter, hooded waterproof jacket, often pulled over the head; not a long coat

Grammar Patterns

wear a mackintosh

put on a mackintosh

Usage Note

Chiefly British and slightly old-fashioned; the shortened form 'mac' is more common in everyday modern speech. American English usually says 'raincoat' or names a specific brand. The plural 'mackintoshes' takes a regular '-es' ending despite the personal-name origin.

Common Mistakes

I bought a Macintosh for the rainy season.
I bought a mackintosh for the rainy season.
'Macintosh' (no k) is the Apple computer brand; the raincoat is spelt with a 'k'.

2. a thin waterproof material, originally cotton bonded with rubber, used to make r

2.nounC1
Definition

a thin waterproof material, originally cotton bonded with rubber, used to make raincoats and other outdoor items that need to stay dry.

Example

Tamar bought two metres of soft brown mackintosh to line her new garden bag.

quantity + mackintosh as fabric: metres of mackintosh

Imran asked the tailor for a roll of black mackintosh to make a waterproof apron.

made of mackintosh: typical tailor-shop context

Common collocations
  • sheet of mackintosh
  • metres of mackintosh
  • heavy mackintosh
  • soft mackintosh
Synonyms
  • oilskin

    another waterproof cloth, traditionally cotton soaked in oil rather than bonded with rubber

  • rubberized fabric

    the modern technical description of what mackintosh originally was

Grammar Patterns

made of mackintosh

[length] of mackintosh

Usage Note

This sense names the fabric itself rather than a finished garment; it is uncountable and largely confined to textile and historical contexts. Compare with sense 1, which names the garment made from this or similar material.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five name something you put on to stay dry in the rain, but they differ in length, style, register, and where they belong in the English-speaking world. 'Mackintosh' is the original British full-length coat, formal and slightly old-fashioned, with the historical association of rubberized cloth; people still say it but the word now feels traditional. 'Mac' is the everyday shortened form heard in British speech — same garment, far more casual. 'Raincoat' is the neutral, international word that covers any length and any material; it is what most American speakers would use. 'Anorak' is a shorter hooded jacket pulled over the head, often padded for cold weather as well. 'Cagoule' is a thin, lightweight pull-on raincoat that folds away into a small pouch, popular with British walkers. Compare: 'He wore a long black mackintosh to the funeral' (formal British), 'Grab your mac, it's pouring' (informal British), 'I left my raincoat in the car' (neutral).

mackintosh ↗mac ↗raincoatanorakcagoule ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • a long mackintosh
  • a black mackintosh
  • wear a mackintosh
  • put on a mackintosh

Prepositions

  • in a mackintosh

Etymology

Scottish English (proper name)British English

Named after the Scottish chemist Charles Macintosh (1766–1843), who in 1823 patented a method of bonding two layers of cloth with dissolved rubber to make a waterproof fabric. The garments made from this cloth quickly took his surname, but the everyday spelling added an extra 'k' — giving us 'mackintosh' for the coat rather than 'macintosh' for the inventor. The shortened form 'mac' has been recorded in British English since at least the 1900s.