mayo

¹

[mey-oh]

noun

Informal.

1. mayonnaise.

Mayo

²

[mey-oh]

noun

1. Charles Horace, 1865–1939, and his brother William James, 1861–1939, U.S. surgeons.

2. a county in NW Connaught province, in the NW Republic of Ireland. 2,084 sq. mi. (5,400 sq. km). Castlebar.

Mayo

¹

/ ˈmeɪəʊ /

noun

1. a county of NW Republic of Ireland, in NW Connacht province, on the Atlantic: has many offshore islands and several large lakes. County town: Castlebar. Pop: 117 446 (2002). Area: 5397 sq km (2084 sq miles)

Mayo

²

/ ˈmeɪəʊ /

noun

1. a family of US medical practitioners. They pioneered group practice and established (1903) the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Foremost among them were William Worrall Mayo (1819–1911), his sons William James Mayo (1861–1939) and Charles Horace Mayo (1865–1939), and Charles's son, Charles William Mayo (1898–1968)

Word History and Origins

Origin of mayo¹

By shortening; -o

Example Sentences

Straight from my grandmother’s recipe card: melted butter, grainy Dijon, a dollop of mayo, a splash of Worcestershire, garlic and onion powders, a little brown sugar, and a shower of poppy seeds.

From Salon

Elote-Style Loaded Fries with Chicken: Crisp fries piled high with sweet corn, a drizzle of mayo, cotija cheese, cubed grilled chicken, pickled red onion and fresh cilantro.

From Salon

No one waxes poetic about which particular brand of mayo brings out yellow squash’s best side.

From Salon

If you love elote as much as I do, go ahead and swirl in a bit of mayo.

From Salon

A visit to the Leckwith store on 17 January of that year found 36 out of date items, including five tubs of spicy mayo dip seven days out of date.

From BBC

When To Use

What else does mayo mean?

Typically, mayo is short for mayonnaise, a classic condiment made of oil, vinegar, and egg yolks.When not, it can also be used as offensive language against white people or a slang term for drugs.Content warning: the following article deals with content related to illicit drugs and offensive and disparaging language.