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• merlin
  merlin

  noun

  a small, bold falcon, Falco columbarius, of the Northern Hemisphere.
• Merlin
  Merlin

  noun

  a venerable magician and seer.

merlin

¹ American  

[mur-lin] / ˈmɜr lɪn /

noun

1. a small, bold falcon, Falco columbarius, of the Northern Hemisphere.

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Merlin ² American  

[mur-lin] / ˈmɜr lɪn /

noun

1. Arthurian Legend. a venerable magician and seer.

2. a male given name.

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Merlin ¹ British  

/ ˈmɜːlɪn /

noun

1. (in Arthurian legend) a wizard and counsellor to King Arthur eternally imprisoned in a tree by a woman to whom he revealed his secret craft

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merlin ² British  

/ ˈmɜːlɪn /

noun

1. a small falcon, Falco columbarius, that has a dark plumage with a black-barred tail: used in falconry See also pigeon hawk

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Merlin Cultural  

1. In the legends of King Arthur (see also Arthur), a magician who acts as Arthur's principal adviser.

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Etymology

Origin of merlin

1350–1400; Middle English merlioun, merlone < Anglo-French merilun, Old French esmerillon, diminutive of esmeril < Germanic; akin to German Schmerl, Old Norse smyrill

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

merlin Merlin

The estate is home to rare wildlife, including curlew, mountain bumblebees, lapwings, red squirrels, cuckoo and merlin, as well as Atlantic salmon and critically endangered eels, but the conservationists say nature could be richer still.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025

I would suggest some additional fine points to its content regarding the emphasis on the black merlin that keeps us company and provides moments of splendor and beauty for inquiring eyes.

From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024

Standing beside Muul along a sidewalk in the Gatewood neighborhood, I craned my neck to look for the merlin at the top of a tall tree but all I saw were branches.

From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024

The merlin darted overhead, sounding high-pitched, rapid-fire distress calls.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 12, 2022

She could hawk with a merlin, or play blind man’s buff, or pince-merille.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Blackstone portfolio company Merlin Entertainments, the business behind the Madame Tussauds wax museums and Legoland theme parks, introduced Blackstone to Huskeys, Fletcher said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Companies that sell directly to consumers, like Merlin and TikTok, account for most of its revenue, Gafni said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Merlin plans to use generative AI, trained on thousands of hours of recorded exchanges, to interpret instructions and respond itself.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Merlin, meanwhile, is using AI-powered cameras to detect and classify objects.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Maddie flew alone, careful and happy, low over the snow-tipped Highlands on those pretty tapered wings, deafened by the Merlin engine, navigating by dead reckoning.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein