Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A short, double-breasted coat of heavy, usually plaid, woolen material.
  • noun The cloth from which such a coat is made, usually of wool, often with a heavy nap.
  • noun A flatbottom boat with a pointed bow and square stern, once used on the upper Great Lakes.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • Local, U. S. A short, heavy, double-breasted plaid coat, the design of which is large and striking.
  • A flat-bottomed boat with a pointed prow and square stern, using oars or sails or both, used esp. on the upper Great Lakes and their tributaries.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A heavy, woolen cloth.
  • noun A blanket made of wool formerly distributed to the Amerindians by the U.S. government.
  • noun A cargo boat, with a large flat bottom and sharp ends, formerly used on the Great Lakes and the Missouri River (to a lesser extent, elsewhere).
  • noun A schooner-rigged boat once used on the Great Lakes.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a short plaid coat made of made of thick woolen material
  • noun a flat-bottomed boat used on upper Great Lakes
  • noun a thick plaid blanket formerly used in the northwestern United States
  • noun a heavy woolen cloth heavily napped and felted, often with a plaid design

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[After Old Mackinac, a fort on the site of present-day , Mackinaw City, in northern Michigan.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Representing an earlier colloquial pronunciation of Mackinac, a strait between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, an island in the strait, and an important trading-post on the island; ultimately from Ojibwe mishinii-makinaang ("at the place of many snapping turtles").

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Examples

  • [Page 55] * A mackinaw is a short, rough coat of material much like a grey horse blanket.

    The Shagganappi 1913

  • Lake trout, also called mackinaw, are, beyond any reasonable doubt, the primary culprits in the decline of the Blue Mesa salmon fishery.

    Denver Post: News: Breaking: Local 2010

  • It provides lake trout, also known as mackinaw, and whitefish to as many as nine organizations, including the Kalispell Indian tribe, groups in Spokane, Wash., and the Sandpoint food bank, Fish and Game officials said.

    The Herald | HeraldOnline.com - Front 2009

  • Naethe's 150 lake trout, also known as mackinaw, gave him a total of 434 as the seven weekend-long tournament passed the halfway point.

    unknown title 2009

  • It provides lake trout, also known as mackinaw, and whitefish to as many as nine organizations, including the Kalispell Indian tribe, groups in Spokane, Wash., and the Sandpoint food bank, Fish and Game officials said.

    The Herald | HeraldOnline.com - Front 2009

  • It provides lake trout, also known as mackinaw, and whitefish to as many as nine organizations, including the Kalispell Indian tribe, groups in Spokane, Wash., and the Sandpoint food bank, Fish and Game officials said.

    WTOP / Business / Biz Stories 2009

  • Naethe's 150 lake trout, also known as mackinaw, gave him a total of 434 as the seven weekend-long tournament passed the halfway point.

    unknown title 2009

  • It provides lake trout, also known as mackinaw, and whitefish to as many as nine organizations, including the Kalispell Indian tribe, groups in Spokane, Wash., and the Sandpoint food bank, Fish and Game officials said.

    WTOP / Business / Biz Stories 2009

  • Naethe's 150 lake trout, also known as mackinaw, gave him a total of 434 as the seven weekend-long tournament passed the halfway point.

    unknown title 2009

  • It provides lake trout, also known as mackinaw, and whitefish to as many as nine organizations, including the Kalispell Indian tribe, groups in Spokane, Wash., and the Sandpoint food bank, Fish and Game officials said.

    The Herald | HeraldOnline.com - Front 2009

Comments

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  • A flatbottom boat with a pointed bow and square stern, once used on the upper Great Lakes (After Old Mackinac, a fort on the site of present-day Mackinaw City in northern Michigan).

    October 26, 2007

  • ...an old man, with impish features and an alert blue eye, wearing a mackinaw and a velour hat...

    - Malcolm Lowry, October Ferry to Gabriola

    July 30, 2008