marlin

1
[ mahr-lin ]
/ ˈmɑr lɪn /

noun, plural (especially collectively) mar·lin, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) mar·lins.

any large, saltwater game fish of the genera Makaira and Tetrapterus, having the upper jaw elongated into a spearlike structure.

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Origin of marlin

1
1915–20, Americanism; short for marlinespike

Words nearby marlin

marlborough, marlborough leg, marled, marlene, marley, marlin, marline, marlinespike, marlite, marlon, marlovian

Definition for marlin (2 of 4)

marlin2
[ mahr-lin ]
/ ˈmɑr lɪn /

noun

marline.

Definition for marlin (3 of 4)

Marlin
[ mahr-lin ]
/ ˈmɑr lɪn /

noun

a male given name.

Definition for marlin (4 of 4)

marline

or mar·lin, mar·ling

[ mahr-lin ]
/ ˈmɑr lɪn /

noun Nautical.

small stuff of two-fiber strands, sometimes tarred, laid up left-handed.

Origin of marline

First recorded in 1375–1425, marline is from the late Middle English word merlin. See marl2, line1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for marlin

British Dictionary definitions for marlin (1 of 2)

marlin
/ (ˈmɑːlɪn) /

noun plural -lin or -lins

any of several large scombroid food and game fishes of the genera Makaira, Istiompax, and Tetrapturus, of warm and tropical seas, having a very long upper jaw: family IstiophoridaeAlso called: spearfish

Word Origin for marlin

C20: from marlinespike; with allusion to the shape of the beak

British Dictionary definitions for marlin (2 of 2)

marline

marlin less commonly marling (ˈmɑːlɪŋ)

/ (ˈmɑːlɪn) /

noun

nautical a light rope, usually tarred, made of two strands laid left-handed

Word Origin for marline

C15: from Dutch marlijn, from marren to tie + lijn line
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012