merlin

[ mur-lin ]

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

Origin of merlin

1
1350–1400; Middle English merlioun, merlone<Anglo-French merilun,Old French esmerillon, diminutive of esmeril<Germanic; akin to German Schmerl,Old Norse smyrill

Words Nearby merlin

Other definitions for Merlin (2 of 2)

Merlin
[ mur-lin ]

noun
  1. Arthurian Legend. a venerable magician and seer.

  2. a male given name.

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How to use merlin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for merlin (1 of 2)

merlin

/ (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

Origin of merlin

1
C14: from Old French esmerillon, from esmeril, of Germanic origin

British Dictionary definitions for Merlin (2 of 2)

Merlin

/ (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

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

Cultural definitions for Merlin

Merlin

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

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.