merlette

English

Etymology

A merlette in French heraldry

From Late Middle English [Term?], from Anglo-Norman merlet (from merle (“blackbird”) + -et (“suffix forming a noun”)), or from Middle French merlette (“female blackbird; merlette (heraldic charge)”) (from merle (“blackbird”) + -ette (“diminutive suffix forming a feminine noun”).[1] Merle is from Latin merula (“blackbird”), from Proto-Indo-European *ams- (“black; blackbird”).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /məːˈlɛt/
(General American) IPA^(key): /mɚˈlɛt/
Hyphenation: mer‧lette

Noun

merlette (plural merlettes)

(heraldry) In French heraldry, a depiction of a mythological bird without beak or feet.

See also

martlet (“depiction of a bird in English heraldry with stylized feet”)

References

“merlette” (US) / “merlette” (UK) in Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University Press.

Further reading

list of heraldic charges on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

From merle +‎ -ette

Noun

merlette f (plural merlettes)

Female blackbird.
(heraldry) The merlette.

Further reading

“merlette” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.