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may

 
() pronunciation
aux.v., Past tense, might (mīt).
  1. To be allowed or permitted to: May I take a swim? Yes, you may.
  2. Used to indicate a certain measure of likelihood or possibility: It may rain this afternoon.
  3. Used to express a desire or fervent wish: Long may he live!
  4. Used to express contingency, purpose, or result in clauses introduced by that or so that: expressing ideas so that the average person may understand.
  5. To be obliged; must. Used in statutes, deeds, and other legal documents. See Usage Note at can1.

[Middle English, to be able, from Old English mæg, first and third person sing. of magan, to be strong, be able.]


may2 () pronunciation
n. Chiefly British
The blossoms of the hawthorn.

[French mai, hawthorn, from Mai, May (so called because it blooms in May). See May.]


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A term which denotes an option or alternative. Compare with shall and should.


  See crossword solutions for the clue May.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

May (multiple meanings)

Top

As a proper noun, May is a month of the year; may is also a verbal auxiliary.

May or MAY can also refer to:

Contents

People

  • May (surname), surname origin, and people with the surname
  • May (name), given name origin, and people with the given name
  • Baron May, a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
  • May (singer), aka MAY, a Japan-based Korean singer

Places

Species of hawthorn

  • May, a common name for Crataegus monogyna, the European Common Hawthorn
  • Eastern May Hawthorn, a common name for Crataegus aestivalis, a shrub or small tree of the southeastern United States

As a code name

Fictional characters

Other uses as proper noun

See also



Translations:

May

Top

Dansk (Danish)
1.
aux. v. - kan, vil (måske), må, have tilladelse til

idioms:

  • may as well    kan lige så godt

2.
n. - [bot.] hvidtjørn, hvidtjørneblomst

n. - maj

idioms:

  • may Day    1. maj (international arbejderfestdag), valborgsdag

Nederlands (Dutch)
kunnen, zou kunnen, zullen, moeten, mogen, mei, maagd, meidoorn, de lente van een mensenleven, Eerste Meidag, bloeiende takken voor Eerste Meiversiering

Français (French)
1.
aux. v. - pouvoir (exprimant la capacité), permettre

idioms:

  • may as well    peut/pourrait tout aussi bien
  • that is as may be    quoi qu'il en soit

2.
n. - (Bot) aubépine

n. - Mai

idioms:

  • may Day    fête du travail, premier mai

Deutsch (German)
1.
v. a. - können

idioms:

  • may as well    könnte(n) genausogut
  • that is as may be    das kann od. mag schon sein

2.
n. - Mai

n. - Mai, der 1. Mai

idioms:

  • may Day    der Erste Mai, Mayday (Notsignal)

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - μπορώ, έχω την άδεια ή την δυνατότητα, μπορεί, είμαι ενδεχόμενος, πιθανός ή δυνατός, ίσως να
n. - Μάιος, Μάης

idioms:

  • come what may    ό, τι και να γίνει, βρέξει-χιονίσει
  • may as well    μπορώ κάλλιστα
  • May Day    (εργατική) Πρωτομαγιά, σήμα κινδύνου

Italiano (Italian)
potere, maggio

idioms:

  • may as well    tanto vale
  • May Day    primo maggio

Português (Portuguese)
v. - poder
n. - maio (m), flor da idade (f)

idioms:

  • may as well    fazer algo por falta de alternativa
  • May Day    Dia do Trabalho

Русский (Russian)
май, расцвет, мочь, иметь возможность, праздновать Первое мая

idioms:

  • may as well    вполне возможно
  • May Day    праздник Первого мая

Español (Spanish)
1.
aux. v. - poder, ser posible

idioms:

  • may as well    más vale que, quizá debería, ya que está
  • that is as may be    puede ser

2.
n. - acerolo, espino albar, viburno

n. - Mayo

idioms:

  • may Day    Primero de Mayo

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - kan, torde, får (lov att), må, måtte, skall, kommer att
n. - hagtorn, jungfru

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 可能, 可以, 也许

idioms:

  • may as well    最好
  • May Day    国际劳动节, 五朔节

2. 五月, 可能, 能

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 五月, 可能, 能

2.
aux. v. - 可能, 可以, 也許

idioms:

  • may as well    最好
  • May Day    國際勞動節, 五朔節

한국어 (Korean)
1.
aux. v. - ~일지도 모른다, ~해도 좋다

2.
n. - 소녀, 승산 없는 경주마

n. - 5월

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 5月, メイ
v.aux. - …かもしれない, …したかもしれない, …してもよい, …だろうか, …かもしれないが, …できるかもしれない, …するために, …であっても, …しないかと

idioms:

  • be that as it may    それはともかく, いずれにせよ
  • come what may    何事があろうと
  • may as well    したほうがいい
  • May Day    5月祭, メーデー

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يمكنه, بمقدوره, بإمكانه (الاسم) صبيه, بكر, عذراء, زهرة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
aux. v. - ‮היה עשוי, היה מותר, היה אפשרי, היה יכול, ייתכן, אולי, מי יתן, הלוואי‬
n. - ‮עלמה, פריחה (ספרותית), תפרחת עוזרד‬
n. - ‮מאי - החודש החמישי‬


 
 
Related topics:
Trade Name (business term)
Mayes (family name)
Mays (family name)

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American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary. Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008 HarperCollins Publishers All rights reserved.  Read more
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