Mach

Meanings

Proper Noun

• Ernst Mach, Austrian physicist (1838–1916), born in Moravia (now Czech Republic).

Noun

• a ratio of the speed (of an object, etc.) to the speed of sound in the fluid or other medium through which the object travels. Usually used to describe supersonic speeds; the Mach number.

Origin

• From Czech Mach, Slovak Mach, Polish Mach and related languages, from pet forms produced by truncation of personal names beginning with Ma- and the addition of the Slavic suffix -ch. Less commonly, a respelling of Hungarian Mács. In some cases, from Vietnamese or Cambodian.