mayday
pronunciation
How to pronounce mayday in British English:
UK ['meɪdeɪ]
How to pronounce mayday in American English:
US ['meɪdeɪ]
-
- Noun:
- an internationally recognized distress signal via radiotelephone (from the French m'aider)
Word Origin
- mayday (interj.)
- distress call, 1923, apparently an Englished spelling of French m'aider, shortening of venez m'aider "come help me!" But possibly a random coinage with coincidental resemblance: "May Day" Is Airplane SOS ENGLISH aviators who use radio telephone transmitting sets on their planes, instead of telegraph sets, have been puzzling over the problem of choosing a distress call for transmission by voice. The letters SOS wouldn't do, and just plain "help!" was not liked, and so "May Day" was chosen. This was thought particularly fitting since it sounds very much like the French m'aidez, which means "help me." ["The Wireless Age," June 1923]
Example
- 1. Mayday ! Come in , guidance ! Request instructions !
- 2. You arent truly happy mayday english subtitled .
- 3. Mayday parade miserable at best rubber brac ......
- 4. Mayday this is not a test !
- 5. Were you able to send a mayday before we came down ?