A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1420, 1494-1623
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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 c1500-c1512 Id. xlviii. 169. c1515 Asloan 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 1530 Ib. 725. c1552 Id. Mon. 192.
The gay goldspink; the meril rycht myrralye a1568 Bannatyne MS 211 b/6. a1568 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 1617 Mure Early Misc. P. xxi. 100.
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 1494 Ib. 27 b. a1586 Lindsay MS. 42 b.
All thingis that cumis in the naturall colour name it nevir as ane merle
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"Merle n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/merle>
