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merlin

1 American  
[mur-lin] / ˈmɜr lɪn /

noun

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

Merlin 2 American  
[mur-lin] / ˈmɜr lɪn /

noun

  1. Arthurian Legend. a venerable magician and seer.

  2. a male given name.

Merlin 1 British  
/ 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
merlin 2 British  
/ 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

"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
Merlin Cultural  

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

Etymology

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.