mayday

See also: May Day

Translingual

Etymology

From French m'aider, short for Venez m'aider! or Viens m'aider! (“Come help me!”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪ.deɪ/

• (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Interjection

mayday

1. (radio) emergency, need assistance
   • 2004, Ken Wishaw, Helicopter Rescue: The true story of Australia's first full-time chopper doctor, page 82

     'Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!' came the call.

Usage notes

When making a distress call, mayday is said three times in succession (mayday, mayday, mayday) to signal that the message is an actual distress signal (as opposed to, e.g., a message about a mayday signal, or a mention of May Day or something else sounding similar to mayday).

Synonyms

• SOS

Translations

The call mayday is the international standard emergency call. However, many local variations also exist.

emergency, need assistance

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 遇險信號, 遇险信号 (yùxiǎn xìnhào)

• Finnish: mayday
• French: au secours ! (fr), à l'aide ! (fr), mayday (fr)
• German: Hilfe! (de), Mayday!
• Greek: βοήθεια (el) (voḯtheia)
• Italian: aiuto ! (it)

• Japanese: メーデー (ja) (mēdē)
• Korean: 메이데이 (ko) (meidei)
• Russian: помоги́те (ru) (pomogíte), терплю́ бе́дствие (terpljú bédstvije), на по́мощь (na pómoščʹ), мэйдэ́й (mɛjdɛ́j), мэдэ́ (mɛdɛ́)
• Serbo-Croatian: upomoć
• Slovene: na pomoč
• Spanish: ¡socorro! (es), ¡auxilio! (es), ¡ayuda! (es)

See also

• pan-pan

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English

WOTD – 1 May 2010

Alternative forms

• Mayday

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪ.deɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪdeɪ

Noun

mayday (plural maydays)

1. An international distress signal used by shipping and aircraft.
   • 2002, Clive Cussler, Valhalla Rising, page 47

     "Odd that she hasn't sent out a Mayday."
     "That is curious. Her radio must be disabled."

Related terms

• distress signal

Translations

international distress signal used by shipping and aircraft

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 遇險信號, 遇险信号 (yùxiǎn xìnhào)

• Finnish: hätäkutsu

• French: mayday (fr), SOS (fr)
• Greek: σήμα κινδύνου n (síma kindýnou)
• Russian: сигна́л бе́дствия (signál bédstvija), радиосигнал бе́дствия (radiosignal bédstvija), сигна́л "терплю бедствие" (signál "terplju bedstvije")

See also

• pan-pan
• SOS