Macross

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Japanese science fiction anime franchise centered on giant transformable warplanes and interstellar conflict
2. The name of a long-running Japanese animated series about mecha fighter jets battling alien forces in space
3. A famous anime and media franchise known for its transforming aircraft, space warfare, and musical elements

Etymology: Macross is a proper noun, the name of a long-running Japanese science fiction franchise, and the name itself is a coinage rather than a word with an older history. It comes from "Macross," the title of the 1982 anime series produced by the studio Tatsunoko Production, directed by Shoji Kawamori and Noboru Ishiguro. The series' setting involved a giant spaceship that transforms into a fighting robot, and the name is a blend of "macro" and "cross," which the creators chose to evoke a huge, cross-shaped vessel. Because the name is a fabricated brand, its only real etymology is the choice of those two English elements. Macross later became the umbrella title for a whole family of series, films and games, and the original ship's name, the SDF-1 Macross, is the source of that label.