Dictionary.com

merle

1

or merl

[ murl ]
/ mɜrl /

noun Chiefly Scot.

the blackbird, Turdus merula.

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Origin of merle

1
1350–1400; Middle English merule<Middle French <Latin merulus, merula ousel, blackbird

Definition for merle (2 of 3)

merle2
[ murl ]
/ mɜrl /

noun

a bluish gray color mottled with black.

adjective

being the color merle.

Origin of merle

2
First recorded in 1900–05; origin uncertain

Definition for merle (3 of 3)

Merle
[ murl ]
/ mɜrl /

noun

a male or female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for merle

British Dictionary definitions for merle (1 of 2)

merle1

merl

/ (mɜːl, Scottish mɛrl) /

noun

Scot another name for the (European) blackbird

Word Origin for merle

C15: via Old French from Latin merula

British Dictionary definitions for merle (2 of 2)

merle2
/ (mɜːl) /

adjective

(of a dog, esp a collie) having a bluish-grey coat with speckles or streaks of blackOften called: blue merle

Word Origin for merle

C20: from dialect mirlet, mirly speckled
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