italian may

May \May\, n. [F. Mai, L. Maius; so named in honor of the
   goddess Maia (Gr. Mai^a), daughter of Atlas and mother of
   Mercury by Jupiter.]
   1. The fifth month of the year, containing thirty-one days.
      --Chaucer.
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   2. The early part or springtime of life.
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            His May of youth, and bloom of lustihood. --Shak.
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   3. (Bot.) The flowers of the hawthorn; -- so called from
      their time of blossoming; also, the hawthorn.
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            The palm and may make country houses gay. --Nash.
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            Plumes that mocked the may.           --Tennyson.
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   4. The merrymaking of May Day. --Tennyson.
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   {Italian may} (Bot.), a shrubby species of {Spiraea}
      ({Spiraea hypericifolia}) with many clusters of small
      white flowers along the slender branches.

   {May apple} (Bot.), the fruit of an American plant
      ({Podophyllum peltatum}). Also, the plant itself
      (popularly called {mandrake}), which has two lobed leaves,
      and bears a single egg-shaped fruit at the forking. The
      root and leaves, used in medicine, are powerfully drastic.
      

   {May beetle}, {May bug} (Zool.), any one of numerous species
      of large lamellicorn beetles that appear in the winged
      state in May. They belong to {Melolontha}, and allied
      genera. Called also {June beetle}.

   {May Day}, the first day of May; -- celebrated in the rustic
      parts of England by the crowning of a May queen with a
      garland, and by dancing about a May pole.

   {May dew}, the morning dew of the first day of May, to which
      magical properties were attributed.

   {May flower} (Bot.), a plant that flowers in May; also, its
      blossom. See {Mayflower}, in the vocabulary.

   {May fly} (Zool.), any species of {Ephemera}, and allied
      genera; -- so called because the mature flies of many
      species appear in May. See {Ephemeral fly}, under
      {Ephemeral}.

   {May game}, any May-day sport.

   {May lady}, the queen or lady of May, in old May games.

   {May lily} (Bot.), the lily of the valley ({Convallaria
      majalis}).

   {May pole}. See {Maypole} in the Vocabulary.

   {May queen}, a girl or young woman crowned queen in the
      sports of May Day.

   {May thorn}, the hawthorn.
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