mayday etymology

Etymology

Mayday, a distress signal, originated from the French phrase "m'aidez" ("help me").

Meaning

Mayday is an international distress signal used to indicate grave and imminent danger that requires immediate assistance.

Origin

Mayday was first adopted as a distress signal by the International Radio Regulations (IRR) in 1927. It was chosen because:

• It was easy to pronounce and understand in multiple languages.
• It was the least likely to be confused with other words or signals.
• It had a sense of urgency and distress.

The term "mayday" was selected after experiments showed that "m'aidez" could be easily misunderstood as "Come in".

Usage

Mayday is used in radio communications to signal distress. It is typically transmitted three times in a row:

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday

Followed by the identification of the vessel or aircraft in distress and details of the nature of the emergency.

Alternative Distress Signals

In addition to Mayday, there are other distress signals used in different situations:

• SOS: Used in Morse code, SOS is an international visual distress signal.
• CQC: Used to indicate a state of urgency, but not immediate danger.
• PAN-PAN: Used to indicate a critical situation that requires immediate attention, but not life-threatening.

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