4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Ephemeron  \E*phem"e*ron\,  n.;  pl  {Ephemera}.  [NL.  See 
  {Ephemera}.]  (Zo["o]l.) 
  One  of  the  ephemeral  flies. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Ephemera  \E*phem"e*ra\,  n.  [NL.,  fr  Gr  ?  a  day  fly,  fr  ? 
  daily,  lasting  but  a  day  ?  over  +  ?  day.] 
  1.  (Med.)  A  fever  of  one  day's  continuance  only. 
 
  2.  (Zo["o]l.)  A  genus  of  insects  including  the  day  flies,  or 
  ephemeral  flies.  See  {Ephemeral  fly},  under  {Ephemeral}. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  May  \May\,  n.  [F.  Mai,  L.  Maius;  so  named  in  honor  of  the 
  goddess  Maia  (Gr.  ?),  daughter  of  Atlas  and  mother  of  Mercury 
  by  Jupiter.] 
  1.  The  fifth  month  of  the  year,  containing  thirty-one  days. 
  --Chaucer. 
 
  2.  The  early  part  or  springtime  of  life. 
 
  His  May  of  youth,  and  bloom  of  lustihood.  --Shak. 
 
  3.  (Bot.)  The  flowers  of  the  hawthorn;  --  so  called  from 
  their  time  of  blossoming;  also  the  hawthorn. 
 
  The  palm  and  may  make  country  houses  gay.  --Nash. 
 
  Plumes  that  micked  the  may  --Tennyson. 
 
  4.  The  merrymaking  of  May  Day  --Tennyson. 
 
  {Italian  may}  (Bot.),  a  shrubby  species  of  {Spir[ae]a}  ({S. 
  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. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  ephemera 
  n  :  something  transitory;  lasting  a  day 

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