auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person may, 2nd may or (Archaic) may·est or mayst, 3rd may; present plural may; past might.
1.
(used to express possibility): It may rain.
2.
(used to express opportunity or permission): You may enter.
3.
(used to express contingency, especially in clauses indicating condition, concession, purpose, result, etc.): I may be wrong but I think you would be wise to go. Times may change but human nature stays the same.
4.
(used to express wish or prayer): May you live to an old age.
5.
Archaic. (used to express ability or power.)
00:10
May
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
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)
7.
(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. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To may
Collins
World English Dictionary
may1 (meɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (takes an infinitive without to | |
| 1. | to indicate that permission is requested by or granted to someone: he may go to the park tomorrow if he behaves himself |
| 2. | ( |
| 3. | to indicate ability or capacity, esp in questions: may I help you? |
| 4. | to express a strong wish: long may she reign |
| 5. | to indicate result or purpose: used only in clauses introduced by that or so that: he writes so that the average reader may understand |
| 6. | another word for might |
| 7. | to express courtesy in a question: whose child may this little girl be? |
| 8. | be that as it may in spite of that: a sentence connector conceding the possible truth of a previous statement and introducing an adversative clause: be that as it may, I still think he should come |
| 9. | come what may whatever happens |
| 10. | ( |
| usage It was formerly considered correct to use may rather than can when referring to permission as in: you may use the laboratory for your experiments, but this use of may is now almost entirely restricted to polite questions such as: may I open the window? The use of may with if in constructions such as: your analysis may have been more more credible if … is generally regarded as incorrect, might being preferred: your analysis might have been more credible if … | |
| may2 (meɪ) | |
| —n | |
| an archaic word for maiden | |
| [Old English mæg; related to Old High German māg kinsman, Old Norse māgr a relative by marriage] | |
| may3 (meɪ) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a Brit name for hawthorn Also: may tree |
| 2. | short for may blossom |
| [C16: from the month of | |
| May1 (meɪ) | |
| —n | |
| the fifth month of the year, consisting of 31 days | |
| [from Old French, from Latin Maius, probably from Maia, Roman goddess, identified with the Greek goddess | |
| May2 (meɪ) | |
| —n | |
| Robert McCredie. Baron. born 1936, Australian biologist and ecologist | |
| may blossom or may | |
| —n | |
| the blossom of the may tree or hawthorn | |
| may or may | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
may
O.E. mæg "I am able" (inf. magan, p.t. meahte, mihte), from P.Gmc. root *mag-, inf. *maganan (cf. O.Fris. muga, O.N. mega, Du. mogen, Ger. mögen, Goth. magan "to be able"), from PIE *mogh-/*megh- "power" (cf. Gk. mekhos, makhos "means, instrument," O.C.S. mogo "to be able," mosti "power,
force," Skt. mahan "great"). Also related to might (q.v.).
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
cows 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
may
see be that as it may; come what may; let the chips fall where they may; to whom it may concern.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
may
fifth month of the Gregorian calendar. It was named after Maia, a Roman fertility goddess.
Learn more about May with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
It may be impossible to define the agent's job in a way that can be monitored effectively.
When people can learn what others think, the wisdom of crowds may veer towards ignorance.
If you're going to the hospital, you may want to leave your cell phone at home.
Humans may have been causing climate change for much longer than we've been burning fossil fuels.
Idioms & Phrases
Nearby Words
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