may

See also: May, mAy, maý, mày, máy, mây, mãy, and mấy

English

Pronunciation

  • enPR: mā, IPA(key): /meɪ/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪ

Etymology 1

From Middle English mowen, mayen, moȝen, maȝen, from Old English magan, from Proto-Germanic *maganą, from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-. Cognate with Dutch mag (“may”, first and third-person singular of mogen (“to be able to, be allowed to, may”)), Low German mögen, German mag (“like”, first and third-person singular of mögen (“to like, want, require”)), Swedish må, Icelandic mega, megum. See also might.

Verb

may (third-person singular simple present may, present participle -, simple past might, past participle - or (obsolete) mought)

  1. (obsolete, intransitive) To be strong; to have power (over). [8th–17th c.]
  2. (obsolete, auxiliary) To be able; can. [8th–17th c.]
    • 1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy, Oxford: Printed by Iohn Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 216894069; The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd corrected and augmented edition, Oxford: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, 1624, OCLC 54573970, (please specify |partition=1, 2, or 3):
      , II.3.6:
      But many times […] we give way to passions we may resist and will not.
  3. (intransitive, poetic) To be able to go. [from 9th c.]
  4. (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?
    Synonyms: can, could, might
  5. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Expressing a present possibility; possibly. [from 13th c.]
    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”, in 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”, in 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.
    Synonyms: could, might
  6. (subjunctive present, defective) Expressing a wish (with present subjunctive effect). [from 16th c.]
    may you win;  may the weather be sunny
    • 1974, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “Forever Young”, in Planet Waves:
      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
    • 1984, “No More Lonely Nights”, performed by Paul McCartney:
      May I never miss the thrill of being near you
    Synonym: might
  7. Used in modesty, courtesy, or concession, or to soften a question or remark.
    • (Can we date this quote?), Prior, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
      How old may Phillis be, you ask.
Usage notes
  • 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 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.
Derived terms
Translations
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 Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

See also

  • Appendix:English modal verbs
  • Appendix:English tag questions

Etymology 2

French mai, so called because it blossoms in May.

Noun

may (plural mays)

  1. The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

may (third-person singular simple present mays, present participle maying, simple past and past participle mayed)

  1. (poetic) To gather may, or flowers in general.
  2. (poetic) To celebrate May Day.

Etymology 3

Shortening of maid, which is a shortening of maiden.

Noun

may

  1. (archaic) maiden

Anagrams

Azerbaijani

Noun

may (definite accusative mayı, plural maylar)

  1. May

Declension

Declension of may
singular plural
nominative may maylar
definite accusative mayı mayları
dative maya maylara
locative mayda maylarda
ablative maydan maylardan
definite genitive mayın mayların

See also

Crimean Tatar

Noun

may

  1. butter, oil

Declension

Synonyms

Interlingue

Noun

may (plural mayes)

  1. May, the fifth month of the Gregorian calendar.

Kalasha

Determiner

may

  1. my

Pronoun

may

  1. me

Kurdish

Noun

may m

  1. intervention

Derived terms

  • mayê xwe tê dan
  • maytêder
  • maytêderî
  • maytêker
  • maytêkerî
  • mayê xwe tê kirin

Mapudungun

Adverb

may (using Raguileo Alphabet)

  1. yes

References

  • Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008.

Quechua

Adverb

may

  1. where
  2. like, how, very

Derived terms

See also

Pronoun

may

  1. (interrogative pronoun) which

Verb

may

  1. (transitive) to fear

Conjugation

Tagalog

Verb

may

  1. there is

Tatar

Alternative forms

Noun

may

  1. May (Month of the Year)

Declension

See also

Uzbek

Noun

may (plural maylar)

  1. May

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Verb

may

  1. to sew
Derived terms

See also

Etymology 2

From Proto-Vietic *ɓal.

Adjective

may

  1. lucky
Derived terms

Walloon

Etymology

From Old French mai, from Latin Māius.

Noun

may

  1. May (month)
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