English word origin

Etymology of mayB

From maybe, the second syllable is pronounced like the name of the letter b. B is written in upper case to indicate that it must be pronounced separately.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

adv

Abbreviation of maybe.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From maybe, the second syllable is pronounced like the name of the letter b. B is written in upper case to indicate that it must be pronounced separately.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "maybe",
      "maybe#English"
    ],
    [
      "b",
      "b#English"
    ],
    [
      "upper case",
      "upper case"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Abbreviation of maybe."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet",
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "informal",
        "not-comparable",
        "uncommon"
      ],
      "recordId": "0d4e5e43067464daefc7c2ad8e02f1345dab7bc7d4dbbb823ba7078464cab21c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5e7a98e29f81c58b9c8d29e724f3a2f9f0e73edfce52668005511b6a72a4bd59",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 9273501
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for mayB →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bWF5Qg