Etymologically
Log in

Mai

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 20 October 2026 at 17:00. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

Forms

Mai m (genitive Mais or Mai, plural Maie)[1] The short form Mai appears in the 15th century, but the older disyllabic Meie, Maien is still found in the 17th century.[2][3] The noun was weak in Middle High German and gradually became strong, but weak forms such as im Maien remained in poetry into the 19th century.[4][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German meie, inherited from Old High German meio, borrowed from Latin Māius (“May”), short for mēnsis Māius (“the month of May”).[5][2][6] Kluge and the EWA explain the Latin name as that of Jupiter Maius, the god who brings growth, from māior (“greater”), the comparative of magnus (“great”).[5][6] Pfeifer and the Duden speak of an Old Italic god Maius, a protector of growth, and Pfeifer connects him with the goddess Maia;[2][7][8] Wahrig gives the alternative that the month was named after Maia, the mother of Mercury.[2][7][8]

The same Latin word gave Italian maggio, French mai and Spanish mayo, and, through Medieval Greek, Russian май (maj); Middle Dutch meye, Dutch mei, Swedish maj and Icelandic maí were also taken from Latin, while English May came from French.[2][6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German meio is recorded only from the 12th century, in glosses that translate Latin Maius.[6][9] Two manuscripts of one glossary give the native name wunnimānōd instead.[9] In Middle High German meie is common from Eilhart (1170–1190) on, also for a maypole, a May song and a spring festival.[10][3]

Semantic evolution

As the month of warmth and growth, May was called Wonnemonat and stood for youth: wie einst im Mai “as once in May”, the refrain of Hermann von Gilm's poem Allerseelen (1844), means “as in happier days”.[4][11] Paul notes the poetic verb maien “to enliven”, used by Uhland and Schiller.[4]

From the old two-syllable form came Maie, a green tree, branch or bunch set up at the beginning of May or of spring, recorded in the 15th century, and the Maibaum.[2][4] The Maikäfer (16th century, earlier Majenkefer in the 15th) and the Maiglöckchen (about 1800) are named after the month in which they fly or bloom.[2][7] Since 1890 the first of May has been the holiday of the labour movement, with the Maifeier; from 1933 to 1945 it was renamed Fest der nationalen Arbeit.[4] English borrowed Maitrank in 1858, and translated it as May-drink in 1850.[12]

Timeline

  • 12th century – Old High German meio appears in glosses.[6]
  • 1170–1190 – Middle High German meie is used by Eilhart.[10]
  • 15th century – The shortened form Mai and the noun Maie “May tree” appear.[2]
  • 16th century – Maikäfer is recorded.[2]
  • 17th century – The disyllabic Meie, Maien is still found.[2]
  • c. 1800 – Maiglöckchen is recorded.[2]
  • 1844 – Hermann von Gilm's poem with the refrain wie einst im Mai.[4]
  • 1890 – The first of May becomes the holiday of the labour movement.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. May, the fifth month of the year.[11][1]
  2. (literary) The springtime of life, youth.[11][4]

Word family

  • Maibaum
  • Maifeier
  • Maiglöckchen
  • Maikäfer
  • Maitrank
  • Maie

Usage notes

Der Erste Mai is the holiday of the international labour movement.[11][4] The weather proverb Mai kühl und nass, füllt dem Bauer Scheuer und Fass says that a cool, wet May brings a good harvest.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
  3. ^ a b c Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 12, 1469
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
  5. ^ a b c Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 594
  6. ^ a b c d e Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. 6, 250
  7. ^ a b c Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag, p. 527
  8. ^ a b Wahrig-Burfeind, Renate, ed., Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch, Gütersloh / München: Wissen Media Verlag; online edition at wissen.de
  9. ^ a b Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch (1952–), founded by Elisabeth Karg-Gasterstädt and Theodor Frings, Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag / De Gruyter; online awb.saw-leipzig.de, p. 6, 375
  10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  11. ^ a b c d e Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
  12. ^ Lehnwortportal Deutsch (2012–), Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache, Mannheim, lwp.ids-mannheim.de