merlin

noun

1. a small, bold falcon, Falco columbarius, of the Northern Hemisphere.

noun

1. Arthurian Romance. a venerable magician and seer.
2. a male given name.

noun

1. a small falcon, Falco columbarius, that has a dark plumage with a black-barred tail: used in falconrySee also pigeon hawk

noun

1. (in Arthurian legend) a wizard and counsellor to King Arthur eternally imprisoned in a tree by a woman to whom he revealed his secret craft

n.small, strong European falcon, early 14c., from Anglo-French merilun, a shortened form of Old French esmerillon “merlin, small hawk” (12c., Modern French émerillon), from Frankish *smiril or some other Germanic source (cf. Old High German smerlo, German Schmerl “merlin”). Spanish esmerejon, Italian smeriglio also are Germanic loan-words. sorcerer and soothsayer in Arthurian legends, from Old French form of Welsh Myrddhin, probably from Old Celtic *Mori-dunon, literally “of the sea-hill,” from *mori “sea” (see mere (n.)) + dunom “hill” (see dune). In the legends of King Arthur (see also Arthur), a magician who acts as Arthur’s principal adviser.