Mackintosh
Mackintosh, waterproof outercoat or raincoat, named after a Scottish chemist, Charles Macintosh (1766β1843), who invented the waterproof material that bears his name. The fabric used for a mackintosh was made waterproof by cementing two thicknesses of it together with rubber dissolved in a coal-tar naphtha solution.
Macintosh patented his fabric in 1823. The word mackintosh has become a general term for any raincoat.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
Citation Information
Article Title:
Mackintosh
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
08 November 2026
Access Date:
November 14, 2026