[mey-flou-er] 
| 1. | (italics ) the ship in which the Pilgrims sailed from Southampton to the New World in 1620. |
| 2. | (lowercase) any of various plants that blossom in May, as the hepatica or anemone in the U.S., and the hawthorn or cowslip in England. |
| 3. | (lowercase) the trailing arbutus, Epigaea repens: the state flower of Massachusetts. |
| Also called arbutus, mayflower. a creeping eastern North American plant, Epigaea repens, of the heath family, having leathery, oval leaves and terminal clusters of fragrant pink or white flowers. |
| may·flow·er (mā'flou'ər) n.
|
| trail·ing arbutus (trā'lĭng) n. A low-growing evergreen shrub (Epigaea repens) of eastern North America, having leathery leaves and clusters of fragrant pink or white flowers. Also called mayflower. |
The ship that carried the Pilgrims to America. It made a permanent landing near Plymouth Rock in 1620, after the Pilgrims had agreed to the Mayflower Compact.
