mackinaw

noun

mack·​i·​naw ˈma-kə-ˌnȯ How to pronounce mackinaw (audio)
1
: a heavy woolen blanket formerly distributed by the U.S. government to the Indians
2
a
: a heavy cloth of wool or wool and other fibers often with a plaid design and usually heavily napped and felted
b
: a short coat of mackinaw or similar heavy fabric
3

Examples of mackinaw in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But unlike brookies, mackinaws reach massive sizes. Jordan Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 Detectives from the Twin Cities and the famed Pinkerton agency in Chicago found a button from a woodsman's mackinaw jacket in Aagot's cabin. Curt Brown Special To The Star Tribune, Star Tribune, 12 Dec. 2020 Tanner caught the lake trout, a freshwater fish also known as a mackinaw, on his line and reeled it in for about 15 minutes, Wilson said. Danielle Garrand, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2020 Catches of rainbow trout have been excellent, sprinkled with the occasional giant mackinaw or brown trout. Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, 21 June 2018 Also called mackinaw, lake trout are a predominantly fish-eating species naturally found in the Great Lakes, much of Canada and along the Eastern Seaboard. Mike Koshmrl, The Seattle Times, 3 June 2018 Zach Gordon of Tahoe Sportfishing also enjoyed fast action for mackinaw. sacbee, 9 Apr. 2018 Meanwhile, Marc Christophel of Christophel’s Guide Service confirmed that the mackinaw bite went hot this weekend. sacbee, 23 Apr. 2018 On Sunday, guide Shaun Rainsbarger said the mackinaw bite was a little tough. sacbee, 9 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mackinaw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Mackinaw (Mackinac), trading post at site of Mackinaw City, Michigan

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mackinaw was in 1836

Dictionary Entries Near mackinaw

Cite this Entry

“Mackinaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mackinaw. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mackinaw

noun
mack·​i·​naw ˈmak-ə-ˌnȯ How to pronounce mackinaw (audio)
: a short heavy woolen often plaid coat

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