Dictionary.com

merle

1

or merl

[ murl ]
/ mɜrl /

noun Chiefly Scot.

the blackbird, Turdus merula.

QUIZZES

GEE WHILLIKERS! WAIT TILL YOU SEE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Do you remember all the words from last week, September 21–27, 2020? Then this quiz should be butyraceous.
Question 1 of 7
What does “yare” mean?
quick; agile; lively.
expressive of or characterized by sorrow.
having or characterized by persistent or earnest desire.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of merle

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

Words nearby merle

merits, merit system, Merkel, Merkel's corpuscle, merkin, merle, Merleau-Ponty, merlin, Merlo, merlon, Merlot

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. 2020

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