merlin

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“
Now, young man, what manner of a bird would you suppose a pied merlin to be--that being the proper sign of my hostel Why," said Alleyne, "a merlin is a bird of the same form as an eagle or a falcon.

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Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. noun A small falcon (Falco columbarius) of northern regions, having predominantly dark plumage and a black-striped tail. Also called pigeon hawk.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (2)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples (41)

  • ASA BUTTERFIELD! from merlin and boy in striped pajamas. —  Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch
  • I had the sprint 620 merlin card for a few years but recently upgraded to the u300. —  LinuxQuestions.org
  • Sper sa continue tot asa, nu stiu daca a mai fost un serial in genul asta pana acum. the jagan eye: de merlin nu se mai aude nmic? allessa: Uhm ... sa nu dati! —  Blogul iubitorilor de seriale Tv - TvBlog
  • Other breeding birds include the merlin, golden plover, black grouse, ring ouzel, curlew, lapwing, redshank and snipe. —  Whitehaven News headlines
  • The peregrine, merlin, and kestrel all once nested in Iowa.
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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Anglo-Norman merilun, from Old French esmerillon, diminutive of esmeril, of Germanic origin.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Early modern English also merline, marlin, merlion, marlion, marlyon; from Middle English merlone, merlion, marlyon, merlyon (also erroneously merlinge), from Old French esmerillon, emerillon, French émerillon = Provencal esmerilho = Spanish esmerejon = Portuguese esmerilhão = Italian smeriglione, a merlin; augmentative of Old French *csmerle = Italian smerlo = Old High German smirl, Middle High German smirle, German schmerl, schmirl = Icelandic smyrill (also Dutch smerlijn = Middle Low German smerle = Middle High German smirlīn, smerlink, smirlinc, German schmerlin), a merlin, from Middle Latin smerillus, smerlus, a merlin; apparently, with unorig. initial s (developed in Roman), from Latin merula, a blackbird, merle: see merle.
 

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/ˈmərlɪn/
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