Definitions for merlin
ˈmɜr lɪnmer·lin

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Merlinnoun

   (Arthurian legend) the magician who acted as King Arthur's advisor

2. pigeon hawk, merlin, Falco columbariusnoun

   small falcon of Europe and America having dark plumage with black-barred tail; used in falconry

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. merlinnoun

   A small falcon, Falco columbarius, that breeds in northern North America, Europe and Asia.

2. Merlinnoun

   A wizard in the Arthurian legend.

3. Merlinnoun

   A fantasy games player recently on the decline.

4. Etymology: Merlinus, itself from the Myrddin.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Merlinnoun

   A kind of hawk.

   Not yielding over to old age his country delights, he was at that time following a merlin. Philip Sidney.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Merlin

   Merlin (Welsh: Myrddin, Cornish: Marzhin, Breton: Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and legendary figures, was introduced by the 12th-century British author Geoffrey of Monmouth. It is believed that Geoffrey combined earlier tales of Myrddin and Ambrosius, two legendary Briton prophets with no connection to Arthur, to form the composite figure called Merlinus Ambrosius (Welsh: Myrddin Emrys, Breton: Merzhin Ambroaz). Geoffrey's rendering of the character became immediately popular, especially in Wales. Later writers in France and elsewhere expanded the account to produce a fuller image, creating one of the most important figures in the imagination and literature of the Middle Ages. Merlin's traditional biography casts him as an often-mad being, born of a mortal woman, sired by an incubus, from whom he inherits his supernatural powers and abilities, most commonly and notably prophecy and shapeshifting. Merlin matures to an ascendant sagehood and engineers the birth of Arthur through magic and intrigue. Later authors have Merlin serve as the king's advisor and mentor until his disappearance from the tale, leaving behind a series of prophecies foretelling the events yet to come. A popular story from the French prose cycles describes Merlin being bewitched and forever sealed or killed by his student known as the Lady of the Lake after falling in love with her, with a local legend claiming him buried in the magical forest of Brocéliande. Other texts variously describe his retirement or death.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Merlinnoun

   a small European falcon (Falco lithofalco, or F. aesalon)

2. Etymology: [OE. merlion, F. merillon ; cf. OHG. smirl, G. schmerl ; prob. fr. L. merula blackbird. Cf. Merle.]

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Merlin

   Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures. Geoffrey combined existing stories of Myrddin Wyllt, a North Brythonic prophet and madman with no connection to King Arthur, with tales of the Romano-British war leader Ambrosius Aurelianus to form the composite figure he called Merlin Ambrosius. Geoffrey's rendering of the character was immediately popular, especially in Wales. Later writers expanded the account to produce a fuller image of the wizard. Merlin's traditional biography casts him as a cambion: born of a mortal woman, sired by an incubus, the non-human wellspring from whom he inherits his supernatural powers and abilities. The name of Merlin's mother is not usually stated but is given as Adhan in the oldest version of the Prose Brut. Merlin matures to an ascendant sagehood and engineers the birth of Arthur through magic and intrigue. Later authors have Merlin serve as the king's advisor until he is bewitched and imprisoned by the Lady of the Lake.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Merlin

   mėr′lin, n. a species of small hawk. [Fr. émerillon, prob. from L. merula.]

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Merlin

   a legendary Welsh prophet and magician, child of a wizard and a princess, who lived in the 5th century, and was subsequently a prominent personage at King Arthur's' court; prophecies attributed to him existed as far back as the 14th century; Tennyson represents him as bewitched by Vivian; legend also tells of a Clydesdale Merlin of the 6th century; his prophecies, published in 1615, include the former; both legends are based on Armorican materials.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. merlin

   A handspike.

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. merlin

   Song lyrics by merlin -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by merlin on the Lyrics.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. MERLIN

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Merlin is ranked #18278 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Merlin surname appeared 1,519 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Merlin.
   
   62.2% or 946 total occurrences were White.
   30.7% or 467 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   3.7% or 57 total occurrences were Black.
   1.3% or 21 total occurrences were Asian.
   1.3% or 21 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   0.4% or 7 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

Matched Categories

1. • Arthurian Legend
   • Falcon
   • Fictional Character

Anagrams for merlin »

1. limner

2. milner

How to pronounce merlin?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say merlin in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of merlin in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of merlin in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of merlin in a Sentence

1. Benjamin Sabahi:

   We don't think at this yield you are remunerated for the risk associated with some of Merlin's planned projects, merlin has a very strong track record, is well diversified, and has long-term agreements in place. But this time it's something larger, more aggressive from a credit perspective.

2. Benjamin Sabahi:

   Merlin has a very strong track record, is well diversified, and has long-term agreements in place. But this time it's something larger, more aggressive from a credit perspective.

Popularity rank by frequency of use