merlin
[mur-lin]
- a small, bold falcon, Falco columbarius, of the Northern Hemisphere.
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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
Also called pigeon hawk.
Merlin
[mur-lin]
- Arthurian Romance. a venerable magician and seer.
- a male given name.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for merlin
Contemporary Examples
She went over to his flat with Merlin, their dog, and she discovered the body.
Knocking on Heaven's Door: True Stories of Unexplained, Uncanny Experiences at the Hour of DeathPatricia Pearson
August 11, 2014
After all, he may look like a Montana Republican, talk like a Montana Republican but he sounds like someone from "Balmer, Merlin."
Merlin was deemed a Special Access Program requiring ultra-high clearances for officials in the know.
Historical Examples
People will continue to read Merlin long after La Pucelle has been forgotten.
Casanova's HomecomingArthur Schnitzler
Merlin was a King in early Britain; he was also an Enchanter.
Now, strange to say, the greatest friend of Merlin was a little girl.
He began by thanking me at table for my present of Merlin Coccaeus.
The Memoires of Casanova, CompleteJacques Casanova de Seingalt
Then Merlin said, “Do you know how to make this business all nice and right?”
The GypsiesCharles G. Leland
merlin
- a small falcon, Falco columbarius, that has a dark plumage with a black-barred tail: used in falconrySee also pigeon hawk
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Word Origin
C14: from Old French esmerillon, from esmeril, of Germanic origin
Merlin
- (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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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
Word Origin and History for merlin
n.
small, strong European falcon, early 14c., from Anglo-French merilun, a shortened form of Old French esmerillon "merlin, small hawk" (12c., Modern French émerillon), from Frankish *smiril or some other Germanic source (cf. Old High German smerlo, German Schmerl "merlin"). Spanish esmerejon, Italian smeriglio also are Germanic loan-words.
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Merlin
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Merlin
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.