May
King James Dictionary [1]
MAY, n. L. Maius.
1. The fifth month of the year, beginning with January, but the third, beginning with March, as was the ancient practice of the Romans. 2. A young woman. 3. The early part of life.
His May of youth and bloom of lustihood.
MAY, To gather flowers in May-morning.
MAY, verb aux pret.might.
1. To be possible. We say, a thing may be, or may not be an event may happen a thing may be done, if means are not wanting. 2. To have physical power to be able.
Make the most of life you may.
3. To have moral power to have liberty, leave, license or permission to be permitted to be allowed. A man may do what the laws permit. He may do what is not against decency, propriety or good manners. We may not violate the laws, or the rules of good breeding. I told the servant he might be absent.
Thou mayest be no longer steward. Luke 16 .
4. It is used in prayer and petitions to express desire. O may we never experience the evils we dread. So also in expressions of good will. May you live happily, and be a blessing to your country. It was formerly used for can, and its radical sense is the same.
May be, it may be, are expressions equivalent to perhaps, by chance, peradventure, that is, it is possible to be.
Webster's Dictionary [2]
(1): ( v.) An auxiliary verb qualifyng the meaning of another verb, by expressing: (a) Ability, competency, or possibility; - now oftener expressed by can.
(2): ( n.) A maiden.
(3): ( n.) The fifth month of the year, containing thirty-one days.
(4): ( n.) The early part or springtime of life.
(5): ( n.) The flowers of the hawthorn; - so called from their time of blossoming; also, the hawthorn.
(6): ( n.) The merrymaking of May Day.
The Nuttall Encyclopedia [3]
The fifth month of the year, so called from a Sanskrit word signifying to grow, as being the shooting or growing month.
