Definition

1. Modal Verb:

   • Expressing possibility: Used to indicate that something is possible or could happen.
   • Expressing permission: Used to ask for or give permission in a formal or polite context.
   • Expressing a wish or hope: Used in formal or literary contexts to express a wish, hope, or blessing.

2. Noun (Proper Noun, capitalized: May):

   • The fifth month of the year: The month following April and preceding June in the Gregorian calendar.

Examples of Usage

• Modal Verb (Possibility):
  • It may rain later today. (There is a possibility of rain.)
  • She may have already left the office. (It is possible she has left.)
• Modal Verb (Permission):
  • May I borrow your pen? (A polite request for permission.)
  • You may begin the exam now. (Formal granting of permission.)
• Modal Verb (Wish):
  • May you have a long and happy life. (Expressing a formal wish.)
• Noun (Month):
  • My birthday is in May.
  • The flowers bloom beautifully in May.

Advanced Usage

• "may as well / might as well": Used to suggest doing something because there is no better alternative or no reason not to.
  • The bus isn't coming; we may as well walk.
• "may ... but ...": Used to concede a point before making a contrasting statement.
  • He may be young, but he is very experienced.
• "be that as it may": A formal phrase meaning "even if that is true" or "nevertheless."
  • Be that as it may, we still have a deadline to meet.

Variants and Related Words

• Might: The past tense form of the modal verb 'may', often used to express a weaker possibility or in conditional sentences.
  • I thought it might snow.
• Mayday: An international radio distress signal (from the French , "help me"), unrelated to the month.
• Mayflower: A name for various plants that bloom in May, most famously the ship that carried the Pilgrims to America.

Synonyms

• Could (for possibility or permission):
• Can (for permission, less formal):
• Perhaps / Possibly (for possibility):

Related Phrases and Idioms

• April showers bring May flowers: A proverb meaning that unpleasant things can lead to good results.
• Ne'er cast a clout till May be out: An old saying advising not to discard warm clothing until the end of May (or until the hawthorn () blooms).
• May-December romance/marriage: A relationship or marriage where there is a significant age difference between partners.

Noun

1. thorny Eurasian shrub of small tree having dense clusters of white to scarlet flowers followed by deep red berries; established as an escape in eastern North America
2. the month following April and preceding June