mandrake

mandrake
May May, n. [F. Mai, L. Maius; so named in honor of the goddess Maia (Gr. Mai^a), daughter of Atlas and mother of Mercury by Jupiter.] 1. The fifth month of the year, containing thirty-one days. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

2. The early part or springtime of life. [1913 Webster]

His May of youth, and bloom of lustihood. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. (Bot.) The flowers of the hawthorn; -- so called from their time of blossoming; also, the hawthorn. [1913 Webster]

The palm and may make country houses gay. --Nash. [1913 Webster]

Plumes that mocked the may. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]

4. The merrymaking of May Day. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]

{Italian may} (Bot.), a shrubby species of {Spir[ae]a} ({Spir[ae]a hypericifolia}) with many clusters of small white flowers along the slender branches.

{May apple} (Bot.), the fruit of an American plant ({Podophyllum peltatum}). Also, the plant itself (popularly called {mandrake}), which has two lobed leaves, and bears a single egg-shaped fruit at the forking. The root and leaves, used in medicine, are powerfully drastic.

{May beetle}, {May bug} (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of large lamellicorn beetles that appear in the winged state in May. They belong to {Melolontha}, and allied genera. Called also {June beetle}.

{May Day}, the first day of May; -- celebrated in the rustic parts of England by the crowning of a May queen with a garland, and by dancing about a May pole.

{May dew}, the morning dew of the first day of May, to which magical properties were attributed.

{May flower} (Bot.), a plant that flowers in May; also, its blossom. See {Mayflower}, in the vocabulary.

{May fly} (Zo["o]l.), any species of {Ephemera}, and allied genera; -- so called because the mature flies of many species appear in May. See {Ephemeral fly}, under {Ephemeral}.

{May game}, any May-day sport.

{May lady}, the queen or lady of May, in old May games.

{May lily} (Bot.), the lily of the valley ({Convallaria majalis}).

{May pole}. See {Maypole} in the Vocabulary.

{May queen}, a girl or young woman crowned queen in the sports of May Day.

{May thorn}, the hawthorn. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Mandrake — may refer to: Mandrake (plant), a plant of the genus Mandragora Mandragora (demon), in occultism Mandrake Linux, former name of Mandriva Linux, a computer operating system Mandrake, the NATO designation for the Soviet aircraft Yakovlev Yak 25… …   Wikipedia

  • Mandrake — puede referirse a los siguientes artículos: Mandrake Linux, una distribución Linux enfocada a usuarios medios; Mandrake el mago, un personaje de cómic creado en la década de 1930; Mandrake (álbum), el disco de la banda de power metal Edguy;… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mandrake — [ˈmænˌdɹeɪk] ist: engl. für Alraunen Mandrake, der Zauberer, ein Comic Tom Mandrake, ein US amerikanischer Comiczeichner Mandrake Linux, eine Linux Distribution, siehe Mandriva Linux ein Album der Power Metal Band Edguy Mandrake (Band), eine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mandrake D'or — Créés en 1990 par Gilles Arthur, le Mandrake d or est la distinction des magiciens. Sommaire 1 Histoire 2 Magiciens récompensés 3 Références 4 Liens externes …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mandrake d’or — Mandrake d or Créés en 1990 par Gilles Arthur, le Mandrake d or est la distinction des magiciens. Sommaire 1 Histoire 2 Magiciens récompensés 3 Références 4 Liens externes …   Wikipédia en Français

  • MANDRAKE — (Heb. דּודָאִים (dūdā īm), Mandragora officianarum, a plant of the nightshade family native to the Mediterranean region and related to the deadly Atropa belladonna. The mandrake is best known for its large, brown roots that can extend several… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • mandrake — root mandrake root n. The root of the mandrake plant; used medicinally or as a narcotic; as a substance it is also called {mandrake}. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mandrake — man drake (m[a^]n dr[=a]k), n. [AS. mandragora, L. mandragoras, fr. Gr. mandrago ras: cf. F. mandragore.] 1. (Bot.) A low plant ({Mandragora officinarum}) of the Nightshade family, having a fleshy root, often forked, and supposed to resemble a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mandrake — ► NOUN ▪ a plant with a forked fleshy root supposedly resembling the human form, used in herbal medicine and magic. ORIGIN Latin mandragora; the form mandrake developed by association with man, because of the forked shape of the root (formerly… …   English terms dictionary

  • Mandrake — Mandrake, s. Tafel »Arzneipflanzen III«, Fig. 2: Podophyllum peltatum, mit Text …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Mandrake — Mandrake, Pflanzengattg., s. Podophyllum …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

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