*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Mac

See macc for details.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A diminutive of the male given name Max. · A diminutive for a person with a surname that starts with "Mac" or "Mc".

noun

Used to address a man whose name is unknown.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

See macc for details.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "Canada",
        "US"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A Macintosh computer (made by Apple Inc.).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *makkʷos Primitive Irish ᚋᚐᚊᚊᚔ (maqqi) Old Irish macc Middle Irish mac Scottish Gaelic mac Scottish Gaelic an Proto-Celtic *to- Proto-Indo-European *weyd-der. Proto-Indo-European *wéydtus Proto-Celtic *wissus Proto-Celtic *towissus Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂kos Proto-Celtic *-ākos Proto-Celtic *towissākos Primitive Irish ᚈᚑᚃᚔᚄᚐᚉᚔ (tovisaci) Old Irish toísech Scottish Gaelic tòisiche Scottish Gaelic Mac an Tòisiche English McIntosh English Macintosh English Mac Informal diminutive of Macintosh, later adopted by Apple as a trademark.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Celtic *makkʷos\nPrimitive Irish ᚋᚐᚊᚊᚔ (maqqi)\nOld Irish macc\nMiddle Irish mac\nScottish Gaelic mac\nScottish Gaelic an\nProto-Celtic *to-\nProto-Indo-European *weyd-der.\nProto-Indo-European *wéydtus\nProto-Celtic *wissus\nProto-Celtic *towissus\nProto-Indo-European *-eh₂-\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Indo-European *-eh₂kos\nProto-Celtic *-ākos\nProto-Celtic *towissākos\nPrimitive Irish ᚈᚑᚃᚔᚄᚐᚉᚔ (tovisaci)\nOld Irish toísech\nScottish Gaelic tòisiche\nScottish Gaelic Mac an Tòisiche\nEnglish McIntosh\nEnglish Macintosh\nEnglish Mac\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Primitive Irish\", \"term\" : \"ᚋᚐᚊᚔ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"pgl\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old Irish\", \"term\" : \"macc\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"sga\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle Irish\", \"term\" : \"mac\", \"lang\" : \"mga\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Scottish Gaelic\", \"term\" : \"mac\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gd\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Scottish Gaelic\", \"term\" : \"an\", \"status\" : \"ambiguous\", \"lang\" : \"gd\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Celtic\", \"term\" : \"*to-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"cel-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*weyd-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*wéydtus\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Celtic\", \"term\" : \"*wissus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"cel-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Celtic\", \"term\" : \"*towissus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"cel-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"noun\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-eh₂-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-kos\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-eh₂kos\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Celtic\", \"term\" : \"*-ākos\", \"lang\" : \"cel-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Celtic\", \"term\" : \"*towissākos\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"cel-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Primitive Irish\", \"term\" : \"ᚈᚑᚃᚔᚄᚐᚉᚔ\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"pgl\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old Irish\", \"term\" : \"toísech\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"sga\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Scottish Gaelic\", \"term\" : \"tòisiche\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gd\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Scottish Gaelic\", \"term\" : \"Mac an Tòisiche\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gd\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"uder\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"McIntosh\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Macintosh\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Mac\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"Apple\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Mac\" id=\"English:_Apple\">"
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        "2": ":from",
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      },
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/makkʷos"
    ],
    [
      "ᚋᚐᚊᚊᚔ",
      "ᚋᚐᚊᚔ#Primitive_Irish"
    ],
    [
      "macc",
      "macc#Old_Irish"
    ],
    [
      "mac",
      "mac#Middle_Irish:_son"
    ],
    [
      "mac",
      "mac#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ],
    [
      "an",
      "an#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ],
    [
      "*to-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/to-"
    ],
    [
      "*weyd-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/weyd-"
    ],
    [
      "*wéydtus",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wéydtus"
    ],
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      "*wissus",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/wissus"
    ],
    [
      "*towissus",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/towissus"
    ],
    [
      "*-eh₂-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-eh₂-"
    ],
    [
      "*-kos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-kos"
    ],
    [
      "*-eh₂kos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-eh₂kos"
    ],
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      "*-ākos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/-ākos#Proto-Celtic:_noun"
    ],
    [
      "*towissākos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/towissākos"
    ],
    [
      "ᚈᚑᚃᚔᚄᚐᚉᚔ",
      "ᚈᚑᚃᚔᚄᚐᚉᚔ#Primitive_Irish"
    ],
    [
      "toísech",
      "toísech#Old_Irish"
    ],
    [
      "tòisiche",
      "tòisiche#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ],
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      "Mac an Tòisiche",
      "Mac an Tòisiche#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ],
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      "McIntosh",
      "McIntosh#English"
    ],
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      "Macintosh",
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    ],
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  "references": [],
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      "pos": "noun",
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        "A Macintosh computer (made by Apple Inc.)."
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
name

McMaster University

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

A shortening.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "links": [],
  "references": [],
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      "pos": "name",
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      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Mac →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TWFj