May Day
|
noun
the first day of May, long celebrated with various festivities, as the crowning of the May queen, dancing around the Maypole, and, in recent years, often marked by labor parades and political demonstrations.
Origin of May Day
Middle English word dating back to 1225–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for may day
British Dictionary definitions for may day
May Day
noun
- the first day of May, traditionally a celebration of the coming of spring: in some countries now observed as a holiday in honour of workers
- (as modifier)May-Day celebrations
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for may day
May Day
"first of May," mid-15c. Accounts of merrymaking on this date are attested from mid-13c. Synonymous with "communist procession" from at least 1906. The May Queen seems to be a Victorian re-invented tradition.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper