merlette
English edit
Etymology edit
From Late Middle English [Term?], from Anglo-Norman merlet (from merle (“blackbird”) + -et (“suffix forming a noun”)), or from Middle French merlette (“little blackbird; merlette (heraldic charge)”) (from merle (“blackbird”)—formerly a feminine noun) + -ette (“diminutive suffix for a feminine noun”).[1] Merle is from Latin merula (“blackbird”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ems- (“black; blackbird”).
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /məːˈlɛt/
- (General American) IPA(key): /mɚˈlɛt/
- Hyphenation: mer‧lette
Noun edit
merlette (plural merlettes)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ “merlette”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Further reading edit
- list of heraldic charges on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
French edit
Etymology edit
From merle + -ette, literally “little blackbird”, the word for the male blackbird being mostly female until the 16th century (a male: "une merle", a little male: "une merlette").[1]
Meaning 2 (hen blackbird) appears in 1842.[2][3]
Pronunciation edit
Audio (file)
Noun edit
merlette f (plural merlettes)