mayday
Noun: 1. An internationally recognized distress signal: "Mayday" is the word used internationally as a radio distress call, primarily by ships and aircraft, to signal a life-threatening emergency. It is repeated three times: "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday."
The word "mayday" is used exclusively as a noun to denote the distress call itself. It is a procedural word (proword) in radio communications and is not used in general conversation outside of this specific context. It signals an immediate requirement for assistance.
- Noun:
- The pilot transmitted a mayday call when the engine failed.
- Coast Guard stations are required to monitor channels for mayday signals.
- Upon hearing "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday," all other radio traffic on that frequency must cease.
- "to declare/send/transmit a mayday": This is the standard phrasing for initiating the distress call.
- The captain decided to declare a mayday when the ship began taking on water.
- Mayday call (noun phrase): The full radio transmission containing the mayday signal and subsequent emergency information (location, nature of emergency, etc.).
- The mayday call was faint but provided the vessel's last known coordinates.
- Distress call/signal: A more general term for any signal indicating an emergency.
- SOS: The distress signal used in Morse code (··· --- ···), sometimes used informally to refer to any urgent call for help, but technically distinct from the voice radio signal "mayday."
The word has only one specific meaning in modern English: the internationally recognized voice radiotelephone distress signal. Its origin is from the French phrase "m'aider" (short for "venez m'aider," meaning "come help me"). It is not used as a verb (e.g., you cannot "mayday" for help; you send a mayday). It is always capitalized in formal procedural contexts (Mayday), though often seen in lowercase in general writing.
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an internationally recognized distress signal via radiotelephone (from the French m'aider)
