Martlet
//ˈmɑːt.lət// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A bird, the martin. obsolete
"“As in a drought the thirsty creatures cry, And gape upon the gather'd clouds for rain; Then, first, the Martlet meets it in the sky, And, with wet wings, joys all the feather'd train.”"
- 2 A depiction of a bird similar to a house martin or swallow with stylized feet.
Example
More examples"“As in a drought the thirsty creatures cry, And gape upon the gather'd clouds for rain; Then, first, the Martlet meets it in the sky, And, with wet wings, joys all the feather'd train.”"
Etymology
From Middle English martilet, probably a blend of martinet (“martin”; from Middle French martinet and Medieval Latin martineta) and Middle French merlet.
Related phrases
More for "martlet"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.