Nearby Words
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
the fifth month of the year, containing 31 days.
2.
the early part of one's life, especially the prime: a young woman in her May.
3.
the festivities of May Day.
4.
(lowercase) British. the hawthorn.
5.
a female given name.
verb (used without object)
6.
(lowercase) to gather flowers in the spring: when we were maying.
Origin:
before 1050; Middle English, Old English Maius < Latin, short for Maius mēnsis Maia's month
before 1050; Middle English, Old English Maius < Latin, short for Maius mēnsis Maia's month
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Mays
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
May
1110, from O.Fr. mai, from L. Majus, Maius mensis "month of May," possibly from Maja, Maia a Roman earth goddess (wife of Vulcan) whose name is possibly from PIE *mag-ya "she who is great," fem. suffixed form of base *meg- "great" (cognate with L. magnus). Replaced O.E. þrimilce, month in which
EXPANDcows can be milked three times a day. May marriage have been considered unlucky at least since Ovid's day. Mayflower (1626) was used locally for the cowslip, the lady's smock, and other plants that bloom in May. May apple attested from 1733.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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