“mayest” is a form of
may
/meɪ/ verb, noun, proper noun
Forms might mays maying mayed maye Ma Mae
- verb (obsolete, intransitive) To be strong; to have power (over).
- verb (obsolete, auxiliary) To be able; can.
- verb (intransitive, poetic) To be able to go.
- verb (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”
- verb (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Expressing a present possibility; possibly. “he may be lying”
- verb (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Expressing a disjunctive or contrastive relation between indicative statements. “You may be my boss, but that doesn't mean you can insult me.”
- verb (subjunctive present, defective, chiefly solemn) Expressing a wish (with present subjunctive effect). “may you win; may the weather be sunny; long may your reign last”
- verb (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Used in modesty, courtesy, or concession, or to soften a question or remark.
- noun The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.
- verb (poetic, intransitive) To gather may, or flowers in general.
- verb (poetic, intransitive) To celebrate May Day.
- noun (archaic) A maiden.
- proper noun The fifth month of the Gregorian calendar, following April and preceding June.
- proper noun A female given name, usually pet name for Mary and Margaret, reinforced by the month and plant meaning.
- proper noun A surname from Middle English.
- proper noun Theresa May, former British prime minister.
- proper noun A former settlement in Amador County, California.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Lemhi County, Idaho.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in McDonald County, Missouri.
- proper noun A small town in Harper County, Oklahoma.
Synonyms
can could might Fifth Month whitethorn English hawthorn Crataegus laevigata Crataegus oxycantha
Etymology
From Middle English magen, mauen, mawe, mawen, mayen, maȝen, mouin, mow, mowen, moȝen, mugen, from Old English magan, from Proto-West Germanic *magan, from Proto-Germanic *maganą (“to be able, may”), from Proto-Indo-European *(me)mógʰe (“to be able”), from *megʰ- (“to be able”).
Cognate with Scots mey (“may”), Yola ma, maa, mai, mey, mye (“may”), North Frisian mai, mei, mooge (“like to, would”), West Frisian meie (“may; to like”), Alemannic German möge (“may; can”), Bavarian megn (“to like; to want to”), Central Franconian mugge (“to like; may”), Cimbrian mögan, möng (“may”), Dutch mogen (“to be allowed; may; to like”), German and Low German mögen (“to like; would like; may”), Yiddish מעגן (megn, “may”), Danish måtte (“have to; may”), Faroese and Icelandic mega (“may; must”), Norwegian Bokmål måtta (“may; must”), Norwegian Nynorsk måtta, måtte (“may; must”), Swedish må (“may; must”), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌽 (magan, “to be able, can, may”); also Irish smacht (“ordinance, regulation, rule; dominion, sway; control, discipline, restraint; fine, penalty”), Lithuanian mėgti (“to like”), Belarusian магчы́ (mahčý, “to be able”), Bulgarian мо́га (móga, “to be able”), Czech moci (“to be able”), Kashubian mòc (“to be able”), Lower Sorbian moc, móc, moz (“to be able”), Macedonian може (može, “to be able”), Pannonian Rusyn мочи (moči, “to be able”), Polish móc (“to be able”), Russian мочь (močʹ, “to be able”), Serbo-Croatian мо̏ћи, mȍći (“to be able”), Slovak môcť (“to be able; be allowed to”), Slovene moči (“to be able”), Slovincian môc (“to be able”), Ukrainian могти́ (mohtý, “to be able”), Persian مغ (moġ, “magus”), Sanskrit मघ (magha, “power, wealth; bounty, gift, reward”).
From French mai, so called because it blossoms in the month of May.
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”).
From Middle English May, Mai, from Old French mai, from Latin Maius (“Maia's month”), from Maia, a Roman earth goddess.
Webster’s 1913
- verb An auxiliary verb qualifyng the meaning of another verb, by expressing: (a) Ability, competency, or possibility; --now oftener expressed by can. How may a man, said he, with idle speech, Be won to spoil the castle of his health ! Spenser.
- noun A maiden. [Obs.] Chaucer.
- noun The fifth month of the year, containing thirty-one days. Chaucer.
- noun The early part or springtime of life.
Etymology [AS. pres. mæg I am able, pret. meahte, mihte; akin to D. mogen, G. mögen, OHG. mugan, magan, Icel. mega, Goth. magan, Russ. moche. Dismay, Main strength, Might. The old imp. mought is obsolete, except as a provincial word.]
Etymology [Cf. Icel. mær, Goth. mawi; akin to E. maiden. Defn: A maiden. [Obs.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “may”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details