▪ I. merlin1
(ˈmɜːlɪn)
Forms: 4 merlioun, 4–5 merlion, -youn, 4–6 merlyon, 5 merlyn, -yone, -lone, Sc. merlȝeon, 5–6 marlyon, 6 merline, meryllon, marleon, -ian, -yne, murleon, Sc. marlȝeon, 6–7 marlion, 6–8 marlin, 7 merling, marlyn, 6– merlin.
[a. AF. merilun (Stengel Descr. MS. Digby 86, p. 10), aphetic from OF. esmerillon (mod.F. émerillon) = Pr. esmerilho, Sp. esmerejon, Pg. esmerilhão, It. smeriglione; an augmentative f. Com. Rom. *smerillo, whence med.L. smerillus, OF. esmeril merlin, Sp., Pg. esmeril a kind of cannon (for the sense cf. ‘falconet’); the Pr. esmirle, It. smerlo merlin, are cognate, but do not correspond formally. The word appears also in Teut. as OHG., MHG., smirl (mod.G. schmerl), ON. smyrill (13th c.); also MHG. smerlîn (mod.G. schmerlin), Du. smerlijn. It is disputed whether the word was adopted from Rom. into Teut., or vice versa; Kluge regards it as originally Teut. The view of Diez, that it represents L. merula (see merle n.) with prefixed s, is unlikely both on account of form and sense.
A few examples of forms without initial s occur outside Eng., e.g. med.L. merillus (Germany, 15th c.), G. merle, mirle (Nemnich), early mod.Flemish merlijn, marlijn (Kilian); their relation to the longer forms is obscure.]
A European species of falcon, Falco æsalon or lithofalco, one of the smallest, but one of the boldest, of European birds of prey; the male bird (distinguished as jack-merlin: see Jack n.1 27, 38) is remarkable for the beauty of its plumage. In recent use sometimes in a wider sense, corresponding to the mod.L. æsalon, as applied by some ornithologists to a subdivision of the genus Falco including the merlin proper and some closely allied species.
In the 17th c. some writers regarded the name as properly belonging to the female bird.
| c 1325 Song of Mercy 9 in E. E. P. (1862) 119 A merlyon a brid hedde hent. Ibid. 172 For Merlions feet been colde. c 1381 Chaucer Parl Foules 611 Ȝe have the glotoun fild I-now his paunche, Thanne are we wel! sayde thanne a Merlioun. 1382 Wyclif Lev. xi. 13 An egle and a griffyn and a merlyoun. 14.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 563/25 Ametus, a merlyn. c 1450 Holland Howlat 638 Than rerit thir Merlȝeonis that mountis so hie. c 1475 Pict. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 761/8 Hic aluctor, a merlone. 1517 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. (1903) V. 128 My lord governouris halkis and marleȝonis. 1530 Palsgr. 910 Meryllons, esmerillons. 1557 Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 132 Lyke as the lark within the marlians foote With piteous tunes doth chirp her ȝelden lay. 1567 R. Edwards Damon & Pithias (1571) F j b, Masse, cham well be set: heres a trimme caste of Murleons. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (1590) 114 A cast of Merlins there was besides. ? a 1600 in Lyly's Wks. (1902) III. 491 The Marlyne cannot euer sore on high. 1613 Fletcher, etc. Honest Man's Fort. v. i, Keep a four-nobles nag and a black [mod. edd. Jack-] Merling. 1613 Boyle in Lismore Papers (1886) I. 29, I sent..to my lo{supd} Carew a caste of marlyns and a goshawk. 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farm 712 Of all sorts of Merlins, the Irish Merlin is the best,..you shall know her by her pale greene legs, and the contrarie Merlin by her bright yellow legs. 1616 [see Jack n.1 38]. 1668 Wilkins Real Char. ii. v. §4. 146 Being the least of all Hawks called F. Merlin, M. Jack-Merlin. 1710 Acc. Last Distemper Tom Whigg i. 3 A jolly marlin that sate pruning..himself. 1893 Newton Dict. Birds 235 The majority of the Falcons..may be separated into five very distinct groups: (1) the Falcons pure and simple (Falco proper);..(4) the Merlins (æsalon, Kaup); and (5) the Hobbies (Hypotriorchis, Boie). 1904 Longm. Mag. Apr. 533 The hen harrier and the little merlin are equally mischievous. |
| attrib. 1851 Mayne Reid Scalp Hunt. xii. 88 Noble dames watching the flight of the merlin hawks. |
▪ II. merlin3
(ˈmɜːlɪn)
[Perh. from the name of Merlin, a celebrated racehorse, from which the Welsh breed of ponies is said to be descended (Youatt The Horse 58).]
A small Welsh pony.
| 1883 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 789/1 [Montgomery] was long famous for its hardy breed of small horses called merlins. |
▪ III. merlin
obs. form of marline.