may

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“
These are remarkable words: "much displeased,"--that is, He was uneasy, indignant, angry (as the Greek word may be more literally translated); and we are told, "He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them_."

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Definitions (28)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (6)

  1. auxiliary verb To be allowed or permitted to: May I take a swim? Yes, you may.
  2. auxiliary verb Used to indicate a certain measure of likelihood or possibility: It may rain this afternoon.
  3. auxiliary verb Used to express a desire or fervent wish: Long may he live!
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Examples (50)

  • It behooves us to consider that this trend in coining product neologisms in English may be with us for a while.
  • She expressed that she thinks grad school in English may not be for her. —  Reassigned Time
  • By the time you read this voting for the new name may already be under way at www. mlsphilly2010.com. —  Sport news, comment and results | guardian.co.uk
  • As with real zoos, watching this will make many feel sorry for those locked up behind the screen's "bars," but auds not fluent in English may be more forgiving. —  Variety.com
  • My interests are very diverse, but I mainly will be posting from the viewpoint of a classical liberal economist, or in laymen's terms supply-side economics or whatever the new buzzword may be. —  Save the GOP
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Words tagged may

ultraviolet awareness month · national etiquette week · national miniature golf day · national day of reason · international tuba day · national homebrew day · no pants day · national vinegar month · national salsa month · national salad month · international internal audit awareness month

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Etymologies (6)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. Middle English, to be able, from Old English mæg, first and third person sing. of magan, to be strong, be able; see magh- in Indo-European roots.
  2. French mai, hawthorn, from Mai, May (so called because it blooms in May); see May.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (4)

  1. A defective auxiliary verb classed with can, shall, etc., as a preterit-present. (a) Indian present 1st and 3d person singular may, from Middle English may, mai, mey, mei, maiʒ, from Anglo-Saxon mœg = Old Saxon mag = OFries. mei, mī = Middle Dutch, Dutch Middle Low German Low German mag = Old High German Middle High German G. mag = Icelandic mā = Sw. må = Danish maa = Gothic (Moesogothic) mag; (b) indicative present 2d person singular now mayest, mayst, by conformation with reg. verbs in -est, -st, but historically might, from Middle English miht, myht, miʒt, maht, from Anglo-Saxon meaht, meht, miht = Old Saxon maht = Old High German Middle High German maht, German magst = Icelandic mātt = Gothic (Moesogothic) magt; (c) indicative present 1st, 2d, and 3d person plural now may (by conformation), but historically mow, or, with retention of the orig. plural suffix, mown, moun, dial. maun, must, from Middle English mow, mowe, moʒe, mown, moun, mowen, mawen, mahen, maʒen, muwen, muʒen, from Anglo-Saxon māgon, mǣgon (or with short vowel, as in Gothic (Moesogothic), magon, etc.) = Old Saxon mugun = OFries. mugun = Old High German magum, magut, magun, Middle High German magen, maget, magen, German mögen = Icelandic megum = Danish maa = Sw. må = Gothic (Moesogothic) magum; (d) preterit 1st person singular might, dial. mought, from Middle English mighte, michte, mihte, myhte, migte, miʒte, mught, muhte, moght, mought, etc., from Anglo-Saxon meahte, mehte, mihte = Old Saxon mahta, mohta = OFries. machte = Middle Dutch moght, Dutch mogt, mocht = Middle Low German machte, mochte = Old High German mahta, mohta, Middle High German mahte, mohte, German mochte = Icelandic mātta = Sw. måtte = Danish maatte = Gothic (Moesogothic) mahta; plural in similar forms; (e) infinitive *may, or rather mow, not in modern use, from Middle English mowe, mowen, mughen, muʒen, from Anglo-Saxon *mugan or *magan (neither form in use, but the second indicated by the occasional present participle magende, megende) = Old Saxon magan, mugan = OFries. *mega = Dutch mogen = Middle Low German Low German mogen = Old High German magan, mugan, Middle High German mugen, mügen, German mögen = Icelandic mega = Sw. må = Danish maa = Gothic (Moesogothic) magan; an orig. independent verb meaning ‘be strong, have power,’ hence ‘be able, can,’ and used in Anglo-Saxon, etc., where now (in English) can would be used (can orig. meaning know': see can); akin to Old Bulgarian moga, moshti, be able, can, = Russian moche, be able; also prob. to Anglo-Saxon micel, etc., English much, Latin magnus, great, Greek μέγας, great, Latin mactus, honored, Sanskrit √ mah, be great.
  2. from Middle English may, mai, mey, a kinsman, person, from Anglo-Saxon mǣg, masculine, a kinsman, = Old Saxon māg = OFries. mēch = Middle Low German māch, māge = Old High German māg, Middle High German māc, a kinsman, = Icelandic māgr, a father-in-law, = Sw. måg = Danish maag, son-in-law, = Gothic (Moesogothic) mēgs, a son-in-law, orig. a ‘kinsman’; akin to Anglo-Saxon māga, a kinsman, son, man, to magu, a child, young person, servant, a man, = Old Saxon magu, child, = Icelandic mögr, a son, a man (later Middle English mowe), = Gothic (Moesogothic) magus, a boy, servant, to Anglo-Saxon mǣg, feminine, a kinswoman (see may), and to mægeth, mægden, a maid, maiden (see maid, maiden); ult. from the root of may, have strength.
  3. from Middle English may, mey, a maid, from Anglo-Saxon mǣg, feminine, kinswoman, a woman, akin to mǣg, masculine, a kinsman: see may.
  4. from May, n.
 

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