For most Americans, McDonald's fast food restaurants are perceived as regular eateries where you can have a cheap, and most importantly, quick meal. However, for many residents of the post-Soviet space, these establishments continue to remain exotic despite the fact that they came to the domestic market more than 25 years ago. Despite such a long "cooperation", some even today do not really know how to spell "McDonald's" in English. Let us correct this annoying misunderstanding and learn not only how to do it correctly, but also consider the etymology of the word under study.
What is McDonald’s
Before considering how McDonalds will be in English, it’s worth knowing the lexical meaning of this term.
This noun is the name of one of the world's most famous fast food restaurant chains. Despite the fact that almost all the food offered in these establishments is obviously harmful to the human body due to the use of fragrances, flavors and dyes, it has a particularly pleasant taste and smell. And an active marketing campaign conducted by network owners for several decades, allows McDonald's to remain one of the leaders in the field of catering, despite the competition.
Etymology of the name of the network "McDonald's"
The name of this brand was derived from the names of its founders - brothers Mac and Richard MacDonald. Translated from the original language, the word "McDonald's" (as spelled - discussed in the last paragraph) can be translated as "McDonald's" (genitive). In this case, the name hints that the company is the property of people or a person with that name.
Considering the question of how to write "McDonald's" in English, it is worth paying attention to the features of the recording of this noun in Russian.
Today, two options are common: with “b” and without it. And both are valid. If you go to the official website of the company in the Russian Federation, it will indicate the name of the brand as “McDonald's”, which corresponds to its English spelling.
At the same time, the variant with “b” is widespread among the Russian-speaking population, although this contradicts the original spelling and pronunciation of this term.
This is explained by the fact that the Slavic languages are not characterized by a combination of several consonants in a row, as here - "lds".
In this regard, in borrowed terms containing them, compatriots try to insert their own vowels or change existing ones (for example, as in the words "meticulous" or "colander"). Sometimes they simply add a soft sign, as is the case with the name "McDonald's."
What does the Scots mean by surname MacDonald
Having learned the history of the appearance of the name of the brand under study, it would be nice to find out what the surname of the founding brothers means in the original.
Like most proper names beginning with Mac, this also belongs to the Scots. In their tradition, such a beginning is an indication of the father of the owner of the surname. In other words, MacDonald means "son of Donald."
According to official data, this name was first used in the XVII century. Scottish settlers in the province of Ulster. Some scholars believe this word is an Englishization of the Gaelic nickname MacDomhnall.
The origin of the term from Gaelic is a confirmed fact, just like the meaning of the word "MacDonald" in it. Translated, it means "ruler of the world." And if you consider that the restaurant chain with this name is the largest in the world in its field, we can consider such a translation - prophetic.
A little bit about the history of this chain of fast food restaurants
Considering the meaning and way of writing the name of this fast food network, it is worth diving a little into its history. It dates back to 1940, when the Scottish émigrés, the McDonald brothers, founded their first fast food restaurant in the California town of San Bernardino.
Their venture was very successful, and after 8 years their eatery, despite its modest size, began to bring excellent income. In addition, it was these enterprising guys who thought out and clearly formulated the basic tenets of the fast food ideology, which all their colleagues are actively using to this day.
12 years after the discovery, MacDonalds met a fifty-year-old salesman of Czech origin, Raymond Krok. It was he who, seeing the potential of the fast food industry, bought the brothers the right to open the same-name restaurants across America.
Thanks to the man’s dexterity and foresight, in less than a decade, his restaurant chain has become one of the richest and most widespread in the country. This allowed Krok to redeem all the rights to the brand from the founding brothers and develop it internationally.
How to spell McDonald's in English
Having considered the meaning, translation and history of the term in question, it is worth learning about the main thing. So, how do you spell McDonald's in English?
The only correct option can be seen on the expanded company logo: McDonald's.
As mentioned above, the letter 's at the end does not inform about the plural of the founding MacDonalds, but that the restaurant chain belongs to them.