mayflower

American  

[mey-flou-er] / ˈmeɪˌflaʊ ər /

noun

1. any of various plants that blossom in May, such as the hepatica or anemone in the United States, and the hawthorn or cowslip in England.

2. trailing arbutus.

3. Mayflower, the ship in which the Pilgrims sailed from Southampton, England, to North America in 1620.

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Mayflower ¹ British  

/ ˈmeɪˌflaʊə /

noun

1. the ship in which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed from Plymouth to Massachusetts in 1620

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mayflower ² British  

/ ˈmeɪˌflaʊə /

noun

1. any of various plants that bloom in May

2. another name for trailing arbutus

3. another name for hawthorn cowslip marsh marigold

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Mayflower Cultural  

1. The ship that carried the Pilgrims to America. It made a permanent landing near Plymouth Rock in 1620, after the Pilgrims had agreed to the Mayflower Compact.

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Etymology

Origin of mayflower

First recorded in 1560–70; May + flower

Example Sentences

“Epigea” refers to Epigaea repens, commonly known as trailing arbutus or mayflower: a low-growing shrub that produces clusters of pink flowers.

From Slate • May 17, 2016

It was intended as the thorn beneath the mayflower, but it was no such thing.

From The Pillars of the House, V1 by Yonge, Charlotte Mary

The delicate and fragrant blossoms of the mayflower made the wooded hillsides sweet, and birds were singing and building their nests in the mild breezes, under the cloud-flecked sky.

From The History of the United States from 1492 to 1910, Volume 1 From Discovery of America October 12, 1492 to Battle of Lexington April 19, 1775 by Hawthorne, Julian

The specimen illustrated shows some of these "jours" having the characteristic mayflower, lozenge, and dotted patterns.

From Chats on Old Lace and Needlework by Lowes, Emily Leigh

They went side by side, hand in hand, silently towards the hedge, where the mayflower, both pink and white, was in full bloom.

From To Let by Galsworthy, John