Mac

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word Mac. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word Mac, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say Mac in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word Mac you have here. The definition of the word Mac will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofMac, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: Appendix:Variations of "mac"

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

See macc for details.

Noun

Mac (plural Macs)

  1. (US, informal) Used to address a man whose name is unknown.
    Have you got a light, Mac?
Synonyms
Translations
Translations

Proper noun

Mac (plural Macs)

  1. A diminutive of the male given name Max.
  2. (US, Canada) A diminutive for a person with a surname that starts with "Mac" or "Mc".
    Synonym: Macca (UK and Australia)

Etymology 2

Informal diminutive of Macintosh, later adopted by Apple as a trademark.

Noun

Mac (plural Macs)

  1. A Macintosh computer (made by Apple Inc.).
    • 1987, InfoWorld, volume 9, number 37, page 46:
      Although our Macs served us well, in those early, dark years Macintosh users were effectively excommunicated by the computer establishment.
    • 1991, “Breaking Communications Barriers”, in Compute!, volume 13, number 9, pages 28–31:
      Built by Matthew Weed, a blind political science and history major, and Victor Grigorieff, a computer science and psychology major, the system is based on a Macintosh IIfx, although it can run on earlier models, since each Mac program has a similar interface.
    • 1993, “The New Microprocessors Powerchips”, in Popular Science, volume 243, number 1, page 58:
      Apple, IBM, and Motorola have teamed up to produce this 32-bit chip that will be used in future Apple Macintoshes and IBM PCs. PowerPC systems will run Mac or Unix programs, and possibly Windows software in the future.
    • 1993, “The Newest Appliance”, in U.S. News & World Report, volume 115, number 21, page 90:
      If you invest the time to learn one Windows or Mac program, you'll automatically have mastered the basic skills to use hundreds of others.
    • 2007, “Uninspiring Vista”, in Technology Review, volume 110, number 1, pages 72–4:
      As this shift accelerates, finding software that works with a particular operating system will be less of a concern. People will be able to base decisions about which OS to use strictly on merit, and on personal preference. For me, if the choice is between struggling to configure every feature and being able to boot up and get to work, at long last I choose the Mac.
    • 2008, Glenn Derene, “Mac VS. PC”, in Popular Mechanics, volume 185, number 5, page 86:
      Oddly, the big difference didn't come in our user ratings, where we expected the famously friendly Mac interface to shine.
      Apple's popular commercials have painted the picture in stark terms: There are two types of people, Mac people and PC people.
Coordinate terms
Derived terms

Etymology 3

A shortening.

Proper noun

Mac

  1. (informal) McMaster University

Etymology 4

Proper noun

Mac

  1. (Singapore, slang) McDonald's
    Synonym: (Singapore) Macs

Anagrams

Irish

Etymology

See mac.

Pronunciation

Noun

Mac m (genitive singular Mhic)

  1. Alternative letter-case form of mac (“son”) used in surnames.

Usage notes

  • Forms with the definite article are not found.
  • The form Mac usually triggers no mutation, but some surnames show lenition of a following consonant.
  • The form Mhic triggers lenition of a following consonant, although c and g are often unlenited here.

Declension

Declension of Mac

First declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun)

Case Singular
Nominative Mac
Vocative a Mhic
Genitive Mic
Dative Mac

Forms with the definite article:

Case Singular
Nominative an Mac
Genitive an Mhic
Dative leis an Mac

don Mhac

Coordinate terms

Descendants

  • English: Mac-, Mc-

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
Mac Mhac not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

Malay

Alternative forms

Etymology

From English March, from Middle English March(e), from Anglo-Norman Marche, from Old French marz, from Latin mārtius, from earlier Mavors.

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Mac (Jawi spelling مچ)

  1. (Malaysia, Brunei) March (third month of the Gregorian calendar)

Alternative forms

See also

Swahili

Proper noun

Mac

  1. Abbreviation of Machi.
    Coordinate terms: Jan, Feb, Apr, Jun, Jul, Ago, Sep, Okt, Nov, Des
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia