Etymology

macgyver

M3A1C3G2Y4V4E1R1

Today it means: Someone capable of improvising an ingenious solution from everyday objects or unsuitable resources. Full definition →

Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

From the name of the eponymous character in the television program MacGyver, a secret agent with an uncanny ability to construct weapons from seemingly useless bits of junk.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.