merle (redirected from merles)

merle ¹ also merl  (mûrl)

n.

See blackbird.

---

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin merulus, merula.]

---

merle ²  (mûrl)

adj.

Having a reddish or bluish gray coat streaked or speckled with black. Used of certain dogs.

n.

A dog with a merle coat.

---

[Perhaps from merle.]

---

merle¹, merl [mɜːl (Scot) mɛrl]

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) Scot another name for the (European) blackbird

[via Old French from Latin merula]

---

merle²

adj

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) (of a dog, esp a collie) having a bluish-grey coat with speckles or streaks of black Often called blue merle

[from dialect mirlet, mirly speckled]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

merle - common black European thrush         European blackbird, merl, ousel, ouzel, Turdus merula, blackbird thrush - songbirds characteristically having brownish upper plumage with a spotted breast genus Turdus, Turdus - type genus of the Turdidae