Merula
/ˈmɛr.jʊ.lə/noun
A blackbird, especially the common Eurasian blackbird.
Did you know?*Merula* is the classical Latin word for the blackbird, and its dark plumage helped make the bird a recurring symbol of night, secrecy, and ill omen in later European folklore.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*smer-
“A proposed root meaning “dark” or “black,” often cited as the source behind the bird name, though the exact pre-Latin history is uncertain.”
Classical Latin
Latin
merula
“A blackbird.”
Late Latin
Latin
merula
“The same bird name continued in spoken and written Latin.”
Old French
Old French
merle
“A blackbird.”
Middle English
English
merle
“A blackbird; later also used poetically or as a literary borrowing.”
Modern English
English
merle
“A blackbird; also a rare poetic or dialect word, and a surname or given name.”