Etymology

In the 15th century, this word appeared as a shortened form of the obsolete mackerel, from Old French macquerel, of uncertain origin. It meant a pimp.

From macquerel came the French word “maquereau”, which means “mackerel”, “pimp” or “brothel-keeper”. With reference to “mackerel”, it probably meant a fish-dealer in a euphemistic manner. “Mackerel” originally derives from the late Latin macerellus, which might have referred to only the fish.

Unfortunately, “mack” does not show up in my old dictionary (The Random House College Dictionary; published in 1975).

This word, however, means something else if you use it in the United Kingdom. It is a short form for mackintosh or macintosh, and means:

1. a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized cloth
2. such cloth
3. any raincoat

This British word also came out in the 19th Century. It was named after Charles Macintosh (1760-1843), who invented it.

In this page, I’m talking about the former.

Noun

1. pimp; someone who procures customers for whores
   In England they call a pimp a ponce.
2. playboy; one who is good with the opposite sex, usually a male.

Synonyms

• playboy
• mack daddy
• pimp
• ponce (in England)
• pandar
• fancy man
• panderer
• procurer
• whoremonger
• whoremaster

Usage

Tony is such a mack. He gets all the best-looking girls.