may
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From Old English magan, from Proto-Germanic *maganą, from Proto-Indo-European *magʰ, *megʰ. Cognate with Dutch mogen, Low German mægen, German mögen, Swedish må, Icelandic mega, megum. See also might.
Verb[edit]
may (third-person singular simple present may, present participle -, simple past might, past participle -)
- (obsolete, intransitive) To be strong; to have power (over). [8th-17th c.]
- (obsolete, auxiliary) To be able; can. [8th-17th c.]
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II.3.6:
- But many times [...] we give way to passions we may resist and will not.
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II.3.6:
- (intransitive, poetic) To be able to go. [from 9th c.]
- 1600, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, III.3:
- O weary night, O long and tedious night, / Abate thy houres, shine comforts from the East, / That I may backe to Athens by day-light [...].
- 1600, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, III.3:
- (modal auxiliary verb, defective) To have permission to, be allowed. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests. [from 9th c.]
- you may smoke outside; may I sit there?
- (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Expressing a present possibility; possibly. [from 13th c.]
- 2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2-2 West Brom”, BBC Sport:
- The result may not quite give the Wearsiders a sweet ending to what has been a sour week, following allegations of sexual assault and drug possession against defender Titus Bramble, but it does at least demonstrate that their spirit remains strong in the face of adversity.
- 2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68:
- Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.
- he may be lying; Schrödinger's cat may or may not be in the box
- 2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2-2 West Brom”, BBC Sport:
- (subjunctive present, defective) Expressing a wish (with present subjunctive effect). [from 16th c.]
- 1974, Bob Dylan, Forever Young
- May God bless and keep you always / May your wishes all come true / May you always do for others / And let others do for you / May you build a ladder to the stars / And climb on every rung / May you stay forever young
- may you win; may the weather be sunny
- 1974, Bob Dylan, Forever Young
- Used in modesty, courtesy, or concession, or to soften a question or remark.
- Prior
- How old may Phillis be, you ask.
- Prior
Usage notes[edit]
- May is now a defective verb. It has no infinitive, no past participle, and no future tense. Forms of to be allowed to are used to replace these missing tenses.
- The simple past (both indicative and subjunctive) of may is might
- The present tense is negated as may not, which can be contracted to mayn't, although this is old-fashioned; the simple past is negated as might not, which can be contracted to mightn't.
- May has archaic second-person singular present indicative forms mayest and mayst.
- Usage of this word in the sense of possibly is considered incorrect by some speakers and writers, as it blurs the meaning of the word in the sense have permission to. These speakers and writers prefer to use the word might instead.
- Wishes are often cast in the imperative rather than the subjunctive mood, not using the word may, as in Have a great day! rather than May you have a great day.
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
term derived from "may"
Translations[edit]
have permission to
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possibly, but not certainly
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subjunctive
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
See also[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
French mai, so called because it blossoms in May.
Noun[edit]
may (plural mays)
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
the hawthorn bush or its blossom
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Verb[edit]
may (third-person singular simple present mays, present participle maying, simple past and past participle mayed)
- To gather may.
- 1922, A. E. Housman, Last Poems, VII, lines 1-2
- In valleys green and still / Where lovers wander maying
- 1922, A. E. Housman, Last Poems, VII, lines 1-2
Statistics[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
Crimean Tatar[edit]
Noun[edit]
may
Declension[edit]
declension of may
| nominative | may |
|---|---|
| genitive | maynıñ |
| dative | mayğa |
| accusative | maynı |
| locative | mayda |
| ablative | maydan |
Synonyms[edit]
Kurdish[edit]
Noun[edit]
may m
Derived terms[edit]
Mapudungun[edit]
Adverb[edit]
may (using Raguileo Alphabet)
References[edit]
- Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008.
Tagalog[edit]
Verb[edit]
may
Tatar[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Noun[edit]
may
- May (Month of the Year)
Declension[edit]
declension of may
See also[edit]
Uzbek[edit]
Noun[edit]
may (plural maylar)
Walloon[edit]
Noun[edit]
may
- May (month)
Categories:
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English verbs
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English poetic terms
- English terms derived from French
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- 100 English basic words
- English auxiliary verbs
- English defective verbs
- English irregular verbs
- English terms with multiple etymologies
- en:Trees
- Crimean Tatar nouns
- Kurdish masculine nouns
- Kurdish nouns
- Mapudungun adverbs
- Tagalog verbs
- Tatar nouns
- tt:Months
- Uzbek nouns
- uz:Months
- Walloon nouns
- wa:Months
