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martlet

 - 3 dictionary results

mart⋅let

  [mahrt-lit]
Use martlet in a Sentence
–noun
1. British Dialect. a house martin.
2. Heraldry. a representation of a swallow close and without legs, used esp. as the cadency mark of a fourth son.
Origin:
1530–40; < MF martelet, var. of martinet; see martin, -et
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To martlet
house martin  
n.  An Old World bird (Delichon urbica) having blue-black plumage, white rump and underparts, and a forked tail. Also called martlet.
mart·let   (märt'lĭt)   


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n.  

  1. See house martin.

  2. Heraldry A representation of a bird without feet, used as a crest or bearing to indicate a fourth son.


[French martelet, from Martin, Saint Martin of Tours.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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