Mayflower

Mayflower
/may"flow'euhr/, n.
1. (italics) the ship in which the Pilgrims sailed from Southampton to the New World in 1620.
2. (l.c.) any of various plants that blossom in May, as the hepatica or anemone in the U.S., and the hawthorn or cowslip in England.
3. (l.c.) the trailing arbutus, Epigaea repens: the state flower of Massachusetts.
[1560-70; MAY + FLOWER]

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ship
      in American colonial history, the ship that carried the Pilgrims from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where they established the first permanent New England colony in 1620. Although no detailed description of the original vessel exists, marine archaeologists estimate that the square-rigged sailing ship weighed about 180 tons and measured 90 feet (27 metres) long.

 Some of the Pilgrims were brought from Holland on the Speedwell, a smaller vessel that accompanied the Mayflower on its initial departure from Southampton, England, on August 15, 1620. When the Speedwell proved unseaworthy and was twice forced to return to port, the Mayflower set out alone from Plymouth, England, on September 16, after taking on some of the smaller ship's passengers and supplies. Among the Mayflower's most distinguished voyagers were William Bradford (Bradford, William) and Captain Myles Standish (Standish, Myles).

      Chartered by a group of English merchants called the London Adventurers, the Mayflower was prevented by rough seas and storms from reaching the territory that had been granted in Virginia (a region then conceived of as much larger than the present-day U.S. state of Virginia, at the time including the Mayflower's original destination in the area of the Hudson River in what is now New York state). Instead, after a 66-day voyage, it first landed November 21 on Cape Cod at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts, and the day after Christmas it deposited its 102 settlers nearby at the site of Plymouth. The ship remained in port until the following April, when it left for England. In 1957 the historic voyage of the Mayflower was commemorated when a replica of the original ship was built in England and sailed to Massachusetts in 53 days.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mayflower — „Mayflower in Plymouth“, von William Halsall (1882) p1 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mayflower — en la Bahía de Plymouth (por William Halsall, 1882) Características generales Desplazamiento 180 toneles …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mayflower — (Париж,Франция) Категория отеля: 3 звездочный отель Адрес: 3 rue Chateaubriand, 8 й округ …   Каталог отелей

  • Mayflower — (Париж,Франция) Категория отеля: 3 звездочный отель Адрес: 3 rue Chateaubriand, 8 й округ …   Каталог отелей

  • Mayflower 2 — (Кефалос,Греция) Категория отеля: Адрес: Kefalos , Кефалос, 85301, Греция …   Каталог отелей

  • Mayflower — Mayflower, AR U.S. city in Arkansas Population (2000): 1631 Housing Units (2000): 872 Land area (2000): 2.929154 sq. miles (7.586474 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.046602 sq. miles (0.120698 sq. km) Total area (2000): 2.975756 sq. miles (7.707172… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Mayflower, AR — U.S. city in Arkansas Population (2000): 1631 Housing Units (2000): 872 Land area (2000): 2.929154 sq. miles (7.586474 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.046602 sq. miles (0.120698 sq. km) Total area (2000): 2.975756 sq. miles (7.707172 sq. km) FIPS… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Mayflower —   [ meɪflaʊə], Name des Segelschiffs (Dreimaster, 180 t), mit dem die Pilgerväter am 16. 9. 1620 von Plymouth (England) nach Neuengland aufbrachen. Vor der Landung am 21. 11. 1620 bei Cape Cod (heute Provincetown, Massachusetts) schlossen 41… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Mayflower — May flow er, n. (Bot.) In England, the hawthorn; in New England, the trailing arbutus (see {Arbutus}); also, the blossom of these plants. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mayflower — ( Fleur de mai ) navire qui, en 1620, transporta de Southampton vers le territoire correspondant au Massachusetts actuel 102 puritains anglais; ils fondèrent les premières colonies anglaises d Amérique du Nord …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • mayflower — by 1620s; from MAY (Cf. May) + FLOWER (Cf. flower) (n.). Used locally for the cowslip, the lady s smock, and other plants that bloom in May …   Etymology dictionary

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