Merlette
/mɜːrˈlɛt/noun
A small heraldic bird, usually shown without feet and often identified with a stylized blackbird.
Did you know?In heraldry, the merlette’s missing feet and beak distinguish it from an ordinary bird, making it a deliberately incomplete and highly stylized emblem.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
merula
“Blackbird or thrush”
Old French
Old French
merle
“Blackbird, derived from Latin merula”
Medieval French
Old French
merlette
“Diminutive of merle, literally “little blackbird””
14th–15th Century
English
merlet / martlet
“A heraldic bird depicted without feet; forms influenced by French heraldic terminology”
Modern English
English
merlette
“A heraldic charge representing a small, footless bird”