mayo

¹ American  

[mey-oh] / ˈmeɪ oʊ /

noun

Informal.

1. mayonnaise.

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Mayo ² American  

[mey-oh] / ˈmeɪ oʊ /

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.

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Mayo ¹ British  

/ 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)

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Mayo ² British  

/ 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)

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of mayo

By shortening; -o

Example Sentences

The deal will put condiment brands such as Hellmann’s mayo, Old Bay seasoning, Knorr, and Lawry’s under the same umbrella.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

A single distribution network that served them with small packets of shampoo as well as jars of mayo made sense.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Its menu includes flavor profiles such as Thai chicken, carne asada and a California Club — a pizza with ingredients you would normally find in a sandwich, including avocado, bacon, mayo and lettuce.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025

Some say it’s all good, clean fun — notwithstanding the mayo mess — and a way to bring notice to the games themselves.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 12, 2025

“You mean the rat in my backpack when you know I’m scared of them? The mayo in my shampoo? What about stealing my lunch money?”

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega