A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Merle, n. Also: merl(l, mearle, mirle. [e.m.E. merle (1483), meryll (c 1524), mirle (1593), F. merle masc. (OF. also fem.).] A blackbird.Apart from the occurrences in the heraldic translations (see b below) and in the title of Dunbar's poem (quot. Asl. MS.), found only in verse, and there freq. in collocations with other birds, esp. the Mavis, q.v … and also Mell v.2 (2) and Mele v. (2), for further examples. c1420 Wynt. i. 1352.
Bathe merle [C. merl, W. merllis] and maweys a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 430. c1500-c1512 Dunb. xlvi. 3.
I hard a merle with mirry notis sing A sang of lufe Id. xlviii. 169. c1515 Asl. MS. I. xiii.
The disputacioun betuix the nychtingale and the merle 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 92.
Scho wald … Syng lyke the merle … Gaill lyke ane goik Ib. 725. c1552 Id. Mon. 192.
The gay goldspink; the meril rycht myrralye a1568 Bann. MS. 211 b/6. Ib. 218 a/3, 229 a/5. 1581-1623 James VI Poems I. 175/570. a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 4 (Wr.).
The mavise, mirle and progne proud 1611-57 Mure I. 44.
Heir mearle and mavis sing melodious layes
Also b. the heraldic representation of a blackbird. (Cf. Merlett(e.) — 1494 Loutfut MS. 139 a.
A merll of natur is blak bot ȝit scho sal nocht be kend in armes be that; scho salbe kend becaus that al merllis in armes ar futles & ellis thai sal nocht be callit merllis Ib. 27 b. a1586 Lindsay MS. 42 b.
All thingis that cumis in the naturall colour name it nevir as ane merle
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Merle n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 May 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/merle>