Macarthur

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Douglas MacArthur, the American general who led Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II ; Ellen MacArthur, the British sailor famed for record-breaking solo voyages around the world ; a Scottish-derived surname borne by various people and places
2. A famous American military commander of the Second World War ; a celebrated British yachtswoman known for sailing single-handedly around the globe ; a family name of Scottish origin shared by many individuals and some localities
3. The name of a renowned Pacific campaign general from the 1940s ; the name of a record-setting solo ocean sailor from Britain ; a surname of Scottish origin that also names some towns

Etymology: "Mac Artúir" is Gaelic for "son of Arthur." The name is a patronymic, the same kind of surname as "Johnson" or "Fitzgerald," and it appears in both Scottish and Irish families. The "Mac" prefix marked the bearer as a descendant of a man named Arthur. The name Arthur itself has an uncertain origin. It may come from a Celtic word for "bear," but the Latin family name "Artorius" is also proposed, and scholars have not settled the question. Because Arthur was a common given name in the British Isles, many unrelated families could each trace a MacArthur line back to a different ancestor. The surname is best known today through the American general Douglas MacArthur, but his name carries the same ancient "son of Arthur" meaning as every other family bearing it.