may

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.

verb

1. (obsolete, intransitive) To be strong; to have power (over).
2. (obsolete, auxiliary) To be able; can.
3. (intransitive, poetic) To be able to go.
   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 […]. 1600, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, III.3
4. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) To have permission to, be allowed. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests.
   you may smoke outside; may I sit there?
5. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Expressing a present possibility; possibly.
   he may be lying; Schrödinger's cat may or may not be in the box
   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. October 1, 2011, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2-2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport
   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. 2013-07-06, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68
6. (subjunctive present, defective) Expressing a wish (with present subjunctive effect).
   may you win;  may the weather be sunny
   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 1974, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “Forever Young”, in Planet Waves
   May I never miss the thrill of being near you 1984, “No More Lonely Nights”, performed by Paul McCartney
7. Used in modesty, courtesy, or concession, or to soften a question or remark.
   How old may Phillis be, you ask, / Whose Beauty thus all Hearts engages. 1744 [1720], Matthew Prior, “Phillis's age”, in Joe Miller's Jests, 7th edition

Etymology 2

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

noun

1. The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.

verb

1. (poetic, intransitive) To gather may, or flowers in general.
   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." 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur Book XIX, Chapter i leaf 386v
   In valleys green and still / Where lovers wander maying 1922, A. E. Housman, Last Poems, VII, lines 1-2
2. (poetic, intransitive) To celebrate May Day.

Etymology 3

Shortening of maid, from maiden.

noun

1. (archaic) A maiden.