martlet

American  

[mahrt-lit] / ˈmɑrt lɪt /

noun

1. British Dialect.  a house martin.

2. Heraldry.  a representation of a swallow close and without legs, used especially as the cadency mark of a fourth son.

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martlet British  

/ ˈmɑːtlɪt /

noun

1. an archaic name for a martin

2. heraldry a footless bird often found in coats of arms, standing for either a martin or a swallow

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Etymology

Origin of martlet

1530–40; < Middle French martelet, variant of martinet; martin, -et

Example Sentences

“Women need to outperform significantly in order to have the same asset levels as men who perform worse,” said Buchan, who now runs her own fund, Martlet Asset Management.

From Reuters

Andrew Harcla, the march-warden, whom Edward II. made an earl and executed as a traitor, bore the arms of St George with a martlet sable in the quarter.

From Project Gutenberg

Commoner than the eagle as a charge is the martlet, a humbler bird which is never found as the sole charge of a shield.

From Project Gutenberg

The martlet indicates both swallow and martin, and in the arms of the Cornish Arundels the martlets must stand for “hirundels” or swallows.

From Project Gutenberg

The younger sons of the eldest house to give these differences instead of the crescent, mullet, martlet, etc.:

From Project Gutenberg