may

See also: Appendix:Variations of "may"

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

May (disambiguation)

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• enPR: mā, IPA^(key): /meɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪ
• Homophones: May, Mei

Etymology 1

From Middle English mowen, mayen, moȝen, maȝen, from Old English magan, from Proto-West Germanic *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.

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) maye

Verb

may (third-person singular simple present may, no present participle, simple past might, no past participle)

1. (obsolete, intransitive) To be strong; to have power (over). [8th–17th c.]
2. (obsolete, auxiliary) To be able; can. [8th–17th c.]
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section 3, member 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.]
   • 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 […].

5. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) To have permission to, be allowed. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests. [from 9th c.]

   Synonyms: can, could, might

   you may smoke outside;   may I sit there?

7. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Granting the admissibility of a supposition, in a way that can be semantically either subjunctive or indicative.
   1. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Expressing a present possibility; possibly. [from 13th c.]

      Synonyms: could, might

      Do you think he may be lying?;   Schrödinger's cat may or may not be in the box

      Sam may be intelligent, but he isn't wise. [This speaker does not know with certainty whether Sam is intelligent, but the speaker allows the possibility.]

      A female crocodile may lay up to fourty eggs. [Typical occurrence.]

      • 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.

   2. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Expressing a disjunctive or contrastive relation between indicative statements.

      Synonym: might

      You may be my boss, but that doesn't mean you can insult me.]

      A: Sigh. I'm bummed that Stephen Hawking died. B: Well, he may have died, but he's still alive in our hearts. [This speaker does not doubt that Stephen has died; nonetheless, the verb inflection is not different.]

      • 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.

8. (subjunctive present, defective, chiefly poetic) Expressing a wish (with present subjunctive effect). [from 16th c.]

   Synonym: might

   may you win;  may the weather be sunny;  long may your reign last

   Let us pray that peace may soon return to our war-torn homeland.

   • 1974, Bob Dylan, “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

9. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Used in modesty, courtesy, or concession, or to soften a question or remark.
   • 1744 [1720], Matthew Prior, “Phillis's age”, in Joe Miller's Jests‎, 7th edition:

     How old may Phillis be, you ask, / Whose Beauty thus all Hearts engages.

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.
• Conversely, since may not is particularly likely to promote confusion between the senses of "will possibly not" and "is forbidden to," some rules for the drafting of laws and regulations proscribe "may not" and require the use of "must not" or similar for clarity. Example:
• 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. The use of may for this purpose may lend a more formal, literary, or solemn feeling (perhaps jocularly so) to the wish. Moreover, wishes in the subjunctive need not use may if the meaning is clear without it, which is the case mainly for established expressions in the third-person singular such as God help you.

Derived terms

• a cat may look at a king
• as luck may have it
• as the case may be
• be it as it may, be that as it may, be this as it may
• come what may
• devil-may-care
• formay
• gods may do what cattle may not
• hold come what may
• if I may
• if I may be so bold
• if I may make so bold
• if I may say so
• I hope I may be shot
• I may not but
• it may well with, may well with
• I wish I may be shot
• lang may yer lum reek
• let the chips fall where they may
• let the dice fall where they may
• mappen
• may as well
• maybe
• may chance
• may-fall
• may-fortune
• may God be my witness
• may God damn you
• may God have mercy on your soul
• mayhap
• mayhappen
• may I?
• may I help you
• may I pass through
• may-issue
• mayn't
• may-pole
• may the 4th be with you
• may the Force be without you
• may the Force be with you
• may the force be with you
• may the Force not be with you
• may the fourth be with you
• may the Fourth be with you
• may the odds be ever in your favor
• may well
• may you live in interesting times
• mother may I
• much good may it do someone
• one may as well hang for a sheep as a lamb
• pigs may fly
• sticks and stones may break my bones
• that is as may be, that's as may be
• the fox may grow grey but never good
• there may be snow on the mountaintop but there's fire in the valley
• there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnace
• the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature
• those who will not when they may, when they will they shall have nay
• to those it may concern
• to whom it may concern
• to whom this may concern
• try as one may
• whatever the case may be
• what-you-may-call-it
• your mileage may differ
• your mileage may vary

Translations

have permission to

Albanian : muj (sq)(gheg) ,mundem (sq) American Sign Language: S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown-S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown S@Chesthigh-PalmDown-S@Chesthigh-PalmDown Arabic: اِسْتَطَاعَ (ar) (istaṭāʕa), مُمْكِن (mumkin, literally “possible”) Bulgarian: мога (bg) (moga), имам възможност (imam vǎzmožnost) Catalan: poder (ca) Chinese: Cantonese: 可以 (ho2 ji5) Mandarin: 可以 (zh) (kěyǐ) Czech: smět (cs) Danish: må (da) Dutch: mogen (nl) Esperanto: rajti (eo) Finnish: voida (fi), saada (fi) French: pouvoir (fr) Galician: poder (gl), valer (gl) German: dürfen (de), können (de) Gothic: 𐌱𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽 (binauhan) Greek: μπορώ (el) (boró), επιτρέπεται (el) (epitrépetai) Hungarian: szabad (hu), -hat (hu), -het (hu) Icelandic: mega (is) Indonesian: boleh (id), dapat (id), bisa (id) Italian: potere (it) Japanese: してもいい (shite mo ii) Korean: 할 수 있다 (hal su itda) Latin: possum (la), (use the subjunctive of the verb that follows) sim (la), mihi licet, licet Latvian: drīkstēt Malay: boleh Ngazidja Comorian: ukaya na ruhusa Norwegian: kan (no), få (no), må (no) Old English: magan, mōtan Persian: توانستن (fa) (tavânestan) Polish: móc (pl) Portuguese: poder (pt) Romanian: putea (ro) Russian: мочь (ru) (močʹ), мо́жно (ru) (móžno) (predicative) Slovak: smieť Sorbian: Upper Sorbian: (ip) směć (hsb) Spanish: poder (es) Swedish: få (sv), kunna (sv), kan (sv) Tagalog: maaari (tl), puwede (tl) Vietnamese: được phép Walloon: poleur (wa) Welsh: cael (cy)

possibly, but not certainly

Albanian : mundet (sq) American Sign Language: S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown-S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown S@Chesthigh-PalmDown-S@Chesthigh-PalmDown Catalan: potser (ca) (followed by "que" and then the subjunctive) Chinese: Cantonese: 可能 (ho2 nang4) Mandarin: 可能 (zh) (kěnéng) Czech: (please verify) moci (cs) (moct) Danish: måske (da) Dutch: (please verify) misschien (nl) Finnish: voida (fi), saattaa (fi), taitaa (fi) French: peut-être (fr), se pouvoir (impersonal, third-person singular) Galician: pode ser German: können (de), mögen (de) Greek: ίσως (el) (ísos), μάλλον (el) (mállon) Ancient: (optative mood +) ἄν (án) Hebrew: עשוי ('asúi) Hungarian: lehet (hu), lehetséges (hu), előfordulhat Icelandic: geta (is) (in the past subjunctive) Indonesian: mungkin (id), barangkali (id), bisa jadi (id), bisa saja Italian: (please verify) forse (it), (please verify) può essere che + subjunctive Japanese: 多分 (ja) (たぶん, tabun), かも知れない (ja) (かもしれない, kamo shirenai) Latin: (use the subjunctive of the verb that follows) sim (la) Malay: mungkin (ms), boleh jadi Norwegian: kan være, also expressed with adv. kanskje (no) Persian: شایَد (fa) (šâyad) Polish: móc (pl), możliwe, że Portuguese: talvez (pt), poder (pt) Romanian: se poate Russian: (please verify) мо́жет быть (ru) (móžet bytʹ, literally “may be”), (please verify) мочь (ru) (močʹ) Spanish: (see Usage notes at quizás) quizás (es), tal vez (es), poder ser Swedish: kan (sv), kanske (sv), må (sv) Tagalog: maaari (tl), puwede (tl) Thai: อาจ (th) (àat) Vietnamese: có lẽ (vi)

subjunctive

Chinese: Cantonese: 願 / 愿 (jyun6)... Mandarin: 願 / 愿 (zh) (yuàn)... Czech: nechť (cs) Dutch: mogen (nl) French: que (fr) + [noun phrase] + subjunctive (verb) German: mögen (de), sollen (de), Konkinktiv I (verb) Hungarian: -j (hu) (assimilated after certain endings) Italian: use subjunctive of potere (it) Latin: (use the subjunctive of the verb that follows) sim (la) Malay: semoga, selamat (ms) Maori: kia Nahuatl: mā Norwegian: Bokmål: måtte (no) Polish: żeby (pl), oby (pl), niechaj (pl), niech (pl), bodaj (pl), bogdaj (Old Polish) Portuguese: que (pt) Romanian: să (ro) Russian: да (ru) (da) ... , да бу́дет (ru) (da búdet) Serbo-Croatian: dàbōgda (sh) Spanish: (use the subjunctive of the verb that follows) que (es), ojalá que Swedish: må (sv) Ukrainian: неха́й (nexáj), хай (xaj), най (naj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Ido: (4, 5) (please verify) forsan (io), (1, 2) (please verify) darfas Romanian: (please verify) putea (ro)

See also

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

Etymology 2

From French mai, so called because it blossoms in the month of May.

Noun

may (uncountable)

1. The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.
   • 1973, Patsy Adam Smith, The Barcoo Salute, Adelaide: Rigby, page 43:

     The fire from Lindfield was coming down the grassy hillside to the right between the hedges of may.

Derived terms

• Italian may
• mayhaw
• may tree

Translations

the hawthorn bush or its blossom

Bulgarian: глог (bg) m (glog) Finnish: orapihlaja (fi) French: aubépine (fr) f Galician: estripeiro (gl) m, pilriteiro m German: Weißdornblüte f Greek: λευκάκανθα f (lefkákantha) Hungarian: (bush) galagonya (hu), galagonyavirág Italian: biancospino (it) m Ojibwe: miinensagaawanzh, miinensagaawanzhiig pl Portuguese: pilriteiro (pt) m, estrepeiro (pt) m Romanian: păducel (ro) m, gherghin m Russian: боя́рышник (ru) m (bojáryšnik) Spanish: espino (es) m, marzoleto m

Verb

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

1. (poetic, intransitive) To gather may, or flowers in general.
   • 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur Book XIX, Chapter i leaf 386v:

     Soo it befelle in the moneth of May / quene Gueneuer called vnto her knyȝtes of the table round / and she gafe them warnynge that erly vpon the morowe she wold ryde on mayeng in to woodes & feldes besyde westmynstre.
     "So it befell in the month of May, Queen Guenever called unto her knights of the Table Round; and she gave them warning that early upon the morrow she would ride a-Maying into woods and fields beside Westminster."

   • 1922, A. E. Housman, Last Poems, VII, lines 1-2:

     In valleys green and still / Where lovers wander maying

2. (poetic, intransitive) To celebrate May Day.

Etymology 3

From Middle English may, maye (“woman, maid, girl, virgin”), from Old English mǣġ (“kinswoman”), from Proto-West Germanic *māg, from Proto-Germanic *mēgaz (“kinsman”). Related to Old English māge, mǣġe (“kinswoman”) and Old English mǣġ (“kinsman”).

Noun

may (plural mays)

1. (archaic) A maiden.

Derived terms

• shield-may

See also

• may-woon

Anagrams

• Amy, MYA, Mya, Yam, mya, yam

Azerbaijani

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian май (maj).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

may (definite accusative mayı, plural maylar)

1. (North Azerbaijani) May

   Synonym: (South Azerbaijani) مه (mə)

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

Possessive forms of may

	nominative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	mayım	maylarım
sənin (“your”)	mayın	mayların
onun (“his/her/its”)	mayı	mayları
bizim (“our”)	mayımız	maylarımız
sizin (“your”)	mayınız	maylarınız
onların (“their”)	mayı or mayları	mayları
	accusative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	mayımı	maylarımı
sənin (“your”)	mayını	maylarını
onun (“his/her/its”)	mayını	maylarını
bizim (“our”)	mayımızı	maylarımızı
sizin (“your”)	mayınızı	maylarınızı
onların (“their”)	mayını or maylarını	maylarını
	dative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	mayıma	maylarıma
sənin (“your”)	mayına	maylarına
onun (“his/her/its”)	mayına	maylarına
bizim (“our”)	mayımıza	maylarımıza
sizin (“your”)	mayınıza	maylarınıza
onların (“their”)	mayına or maylarına	maylarına
	locative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	mayımda	maylarımda
sənin (“your”)	mayında	maylarında
onun (“his/her/its”)	mayında	maylarında
bizim (“our”)	mayımızda	maylarımızda
sizin (“your”)	mayınızda	maylarınızda
onların (“their”)	mayında or maylarında	maylarında
	ablative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	mayımdan	maylarımdan
sənin (“your”)	mayından	maylarından
onun (“his/her/its”)	mayından	maylarından
bizim (“our”)	mayımızdan	maylarımızdan
sizin (“your”)	mayınızdan	maylarınızdan
onların (“their”)	mayından or maylarından	maylarından
	genitive
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	mayımın	maylarımın
sənin (“your”)	mayının	maylarının
onun (“his/her/its”)	mayının	maylarının
bizim (“our”)	mayımızın	maylarımızın
sizin (“your”)	mayınızın	maylarınızın
onların (“their”)	mayının or maylarının	maylarının

See also

Gregorian calendar months: aylaredit

• yanvar
• fevral
• mart
• aprel
• may
• iyun
• iyul
• avqust
• sentyabr
• oktyabr
• noyabr
• dekabr

Bikol Central

Verb

may

1. there is
2. to have

Synonyms

• igwa

Antonyms

• mayo
• wara

Cebuano

Etymology

From Proto-Central Philippine *may (existential marker).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaj/ [ˈmaɪ̯]
• Hyphenation: may

Verb

may (Badlit spelling ᜋᜌ᜔)

1. particle used as an existential marker: there be; there is

   Synonyms: anaa, aduna, adia, ania, atua

   Antonym: wala

   may bulawan sa ungib

   there is gold in the cave

   may dagkong mga pating sa dagat

   the big sharks are in the sea

2. particle used as a possessive marker: to have

   may sakyanan si Maria

   Maria has a personal vehicle

3. (after sa) near a place

   sa may pultahan ― by the door

4. (sometimes with mga) approximately, about some time ago; at around

   may (mga) duha ka buwan na ― it has been about two months

   may (mga) alas-kuwatro ― at around four o'clock

5. (+ adjective prefixed with pagka-) be somewhat

   may pagkatabian si Antonio ― Antonio is somewhat talkative

Usage notes

• In contrast to aduna and anaa, which behave as verbs and could thus take postpositive enclitics, may is a particle and is used immediately before the word modified.

  may sakyanan siya ― she has a car

  may siya sakyanan ― is ungrammatical

Derived terms

• may edad
• may lain pa

Crimean Tatar

Noun

may

1. butter, oil

Declension

Declension of may

nominative	may
genitive	maynıñ
dative	mayğa
accusative	maynı
locative	mayda
ablative	maydan

Synonyms

• yağ

Gagauz

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian май (maj), from Latin Maius.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɑj/

Noun

may

1. (literary) May

   Synonym: Hederlez ay

See also

Gregorian calendar months: aylaredit

• Büük ay
• Küçük ay
• Baba marta
• Çiçek ay
• Hederlez ay
• Kirez ay
• Orak ay
• Harman ay
• Ceviz ay
• Canavar ay
• Kasım ay
• Kırım ay

Further reading

N. A Baskakov, editor (1972), “май”, in Gagauzsko-Russko-Moldavskij Slovarʹ [Gagauz-Russian-Moldovan Dictionary], Moskva: Izdatelʹstvo Sovetskaja Enciklopedija, →ISBN, page 322

Kalasha

Determiner

may

1. my

Pronoun

may

1. me

Mapudungun

Adverb

may (Raguileo spelling)

1. yes

References

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

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English mǣġ (“kinswoman”), from Proto-West Germanic *māg, from Proto-Germanic *mēgaz (“kinsman”).

Alternative forms

• mai, maye

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mæi̯/

Noun

may (plural mayn)

1. woman

Descendants

• English: may
• ⇒ Yola: minymay

References

• “mai, n.(1)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• mai

Verb

may

1. first/third-person singular present indicative of mowen (“to be able to”)

Northern Kurdish

Noun

may m

1. intervention

Derived terms

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

Pacoh

Etymology

From Proto-Katuic *maj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *mi[i]ʔ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [maj]

Pronoun

may

1. you (second person singular pronoun)

See also

Pacoh personal pronouns

Person	Number	Direct	Genitive	Dative
First	Singular	cư	ngcư	acư
	Dual-Plural	nhang	nhnhang	anhang
	Plural	he	nghe	ahe
Second	Singular	may	mmay	amay
	Dual-Plural	inha	ndoinha	adoinha
	Plural	ipe	ndoipe	adoipe
Third	Singular	do	ndo	ado
	Dual-Plural	anha	ndoanha	adoanha
	Plural	ape / ngaay	ndoape / ngngaay	adoape / angaay

Quechua

Adverb

may

1. where
2. like, how, very

Derived terms

• maykama
• mayman
• maymanta
• maypi

See also

• may may

Pronoun

may

1. (interrogative pronoun) which

Verb

may

1. (transitive) to fear

Conjugation

Conjugation of may

infinitive		may
agentive		maq
present participle		maspa
past participle		masqa
future participle		mana
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person inclusive	1st person exclusive	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		ñuqa	qam	pay	ñuqanchik	ñuqayku	qamkuna	paykuna
	present	mani	manki	man	manchik	mayku maniku1	mankichik	manku
	past (experienced)	marqani	marqanki	marqan	marqanchik	marqayku marqaniku	marqankichik	marqanku
	past (reported)	masqani	masqanki	masqan	masqanchik	masqayku masqaniku	masqankichik	masqanku
	future	masaq	manki	manqa	masunchik	masaqku	mankichik	manqaku
imperative		—	qam	pay	ñuqanchik	—	qamkuna	paykuna
	affirmative	—	may	machun	masun2 masunchik	—	maychik	machunku
	negative	—	ama maychu	ama machunchu	ama masunchu ama masunchikchu	—	ama maychikchu	ama machunkuchu

¹ The conjugation -niku is only for the Ayacucho-Chanca variety.
² The form -sun refers to "you and I together", while the form -sunchik refers to "you and I and other people".

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• mey, me — nonstandard
• mi — obsolete

Etymology

From Proto-Central Philippine *may (existential marker). See also Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *mai (“and”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /maj/ [maɪ̯], (colloquial) /ˈme/ [ˈmɛ]
  • Rhymes: -aj
• (dialectal, Batangas) IPA^(key): /ˈmej/ [ˈmeɪ̯]
  • Rhymes: -ej
• Syllabification: may

Particle

may (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜌ᜔)

1. particle used as an existential marker: to be; to have

   Synonyms: mayroon, meron

   Antonym: wala

   May tubig sa bahay.

   There is water in the house.

   May pagkain ako rito, sa'yo na lang.

   I have food here, have it.

Usage notes

• May is used immediately before the thing possessed or existing, whereas mayroon can be separated by enclitics (e.g. lang, kaya, and ako). Sentences like *may ako pagkain would be ungrammatical.

Derived terms

• mema

See also

• may-

Preposition

may (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜌ᜔)

1. used after sa: by; around; near

   Kunin mo ang araro doon sa may puno ng mangga.

   Get the shovel by the mango tree.

   (literally, “Get the shovel at the place with the mango tree.”)

Further reading

• “may”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Tat

Etymology

Cognate with Persian مادر (mâdar).

Noun

may

1. mother

Tatar

Alternative forms

• май (may)

Noun

may

1. May (Month of the Year)

Declension

    declension of may

Nominative	may
Genitive	maynıñ
Dative	mayga
Accusative	maynı
Locative	mayda
Ablative	maydan

See also

• Previous: äpril. * Next: yün

Uzbek

Uzbek Wikipedia has an article on:

may

Wikipedia ^uz

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian май (maj), from Latin māius.

Noun

may (plural maylar)

1. May

Declension

Declension of may

	singular	plural
nominative	may	maylar
genitive	mayning	maylarning
dative	mayga	maylarga
definite accusative	mayni	maylarni
locative	mayda	maylarda
ablative	maydan	maylardan
similative	maydek	maylardek

Possessive forms of may

1st person singular
	singular	plural
nominative	mayim	maylarim
genitive	mayimning	maylarimning
dative	mayimga	maylarimga
definite accusative	mayimni	maylarimni
locative	mayimda	maylarimda
ablative	mayimdan	maylarimdan
similative	mayimdek	maylarimdek
2nd person singular
	singular	plural
nominative	maying	maylaring
genitive	mayingning	maylaringning
dative	mayingga	maylaringga
definite accusative	mayingni	maylaringni
locative	mayingda	maylaringda
ablative	mayingdan	maylaringdan
similative	mayingdek	maylaringdek
3rd person singular
	singular	plural
nominative	mayi	maylari
genitive	mayining	maylarining
dative	mayiga	maylariga
definite accusative	mayini	maylarini
locative	mayida	maylarida
ablative	mayidan	maylaridan
similative	mayidek	maylaridek
1st person plural
	singular	plural
nominative	mayimiz	maylarimiz
genitive	mayimizning	maylarimizning
dative	mayimizga	maylarimizga
definite accusative	mayimizni	maylarimizni
locative	mayimizda	maylarimizda
ablative	mayimizdan	maylarimizdan
similative	mayimizdek	maylarimizdek
2nd person plural
	singular	plural
nominative	mayingiz	maylaringiz
genitive	mayingizning	maylaringizning
dative	mayingizga	maylaringizga
definite accusative	mayingizni	maylaringizni
locative	mayingizda	maylaringizda
ablative	mayingizdan	maylaringizdan
similative	mayingizdek	maylaringizdek
3rd person plural
	singular	plural
nominative	mayi	maylari
genitive	mayining	maylarining
dative	mayiga	maylariga
definite accusative	mayini	maylarini
locative	mayida	maylarida
ablative	mayidan	maylaridan
similative	mayidek	maylaridek

Related terms

Gregorian calendar months: oylaredit

• yanvar
• fevral
• mart
• aprel
• may
• iyun
• iyul
• avgust
• sentabr
• oktabr
• noyabr
• dekabr

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [maj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [maj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ma(ː)j˧˧]

Etymology 1

Cognate with Muong Bi băl.

Verb

may • (𦁼, 埋, 枚)

1. to sew

Derived terms

• đường may
• may mặc
• may vá
• nhà may
• thợ may

See also

• khâu

Etymology 2

Cognate with Muong Bi măl.

Adjective

may • (𢆧, 埋, 𱜿, 𱝁, 枚, 𠶣)

1. lucky

   Synonym: hên

Derived terms

• ăn may
• buôn may bán đắt
• hoạ may
• may mắn
• may ra
• may rủi

Etymology 3

Noun

may • (埋, 枚)

1. (now rarely in isolation) a cold breeze

See also

• gió heo may
• gió may
• hơi may

Walloon

Walloon Wikipedia has an article on:

may

Wikipedia ^wa

Etymology

From Old French mai, from Latin Maius.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maj/

Noun

may

1. May (month)

See also

Gregorian calendar monthsedit

• djanvî
• fevrî
• måss
• avri
• may
• djun
• djulete
• awousse
• setimbe
• octôbe
• nôvimbe
• decimbe

Zazaki

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɑj/
• Hyphenation: may

Noun

may f

1. mother

   Synonyms: maye, mae, mare, marde, mey