Definition of "may"

But many times […] we give way to passions we may resist and will not.

1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, partition II, section 3, member 6

O weary night, O long and tedious night, Abate thy houres, shine comforts from the East, That I may backe to Athens by day-light […].

1600, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, III.3

The result may not quite give the Wearsiders a sweet ending to what has been a sour week, following allegations of sexual assault and drug possession against defender Titus Bramble, but it does at least demonstrate that their spirit remains strong in the face of adversity.

2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2-2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport

Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.

2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68

May God bless and keep you always / May your wishes all come true / May you always do for others / And let others do for you / May you build a ladder to the stars / And climb on every rung / May you stay forever young

1974, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “Forever Young”, in Planet Waves

May I never miss the thrill of being near you

1984, “No More Lonely Nights”, performed by Paul McCartney

How old may Phillis be, you ask, / Whose Beauty thus all Hearts engages.

1744 , Matthew Prior, “Phillis's age”, in Joe Miller's Jests‎, 7th edition

Soo it befelle in the moneth of May / quene Gueneuer called vnto her knyȝtes of the table round / and she gafe them warnynge that erly vpon the morowe she wold ryde on mayeng in to woodes & feldes besyde westmynstre."So it befell in the month of May, Queen Guenever called unto her knights of the Table Round; and she gave them warning that early upon the morrow she would ride a-Maying into woods and fields beside Westminster."

1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur Book XIX, Chapter i leaf 386v

In valleys green and still / Where lovers wander maying

1922, A. E. Housman, Last Poems, VII, lines 1-2