martlet

American  

[mahrt-lit] / ˈmɑrt lɪt /

noun

1. British Dialect. a house martin.

2. Heraldry. a representation of a swallow close and without legs, used especially as the cadency mark of a fourth son.

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martlet British  

/ ˈmɑːtlɪt /

noun

1. an archaic name for a martin

2. heraldry a footless bird often found in coats of arms, standing for either a martin or a swallow

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Etymology

Origin of martlet

1530–40; < Middle French martelet, variant of martinet; martin, -et

Example Sentences

Gates of wrought iron, with perhaps a martlet from the Byrd coat of arms above them, swung between tall pillars in the wall.

From Virginia: the Old Dominion by Hutchins, Frank W.

The younger sons of the eldest house to give these differences instead of the crescent, mullet, martlet, etc.:

From The Curiosities of Heraldry by Lower, Mark Antony

On his road to and from Shottery, he would have passed "under the shade of melancholy boughs" and watched the "guest of summer, the Temple-haunting martlet," that built under the eaves of Anne Hathaway's house.

From William Shakespeare His Homes and Haunts by Forestier, A. (Amédée)

The hedge-side beggar boasts a crest, Monsieur La Mothe: a martlet with three mullets in chief.

From The Justice of the King by Drummond, Hamilton

This guest of summer,          The temple-haunting martlet, does approve,          By his lov'd mansionry, that heaven's breath          Smells wooingly here.

From The Works of Samuel Johnson, Volume 05 Miscellaneous Pieces by Johnson, Samuel