MERLIN, m[.e]r'lin, _n._ a species of small hawk. [Fr. _émerillon_, prob.
from L. _merula_.]
MERLING, mer'ling, _n._ a small gadoid fish, the whiting.
MERLON, m[.e]r'lon, _n._ (_fort._) the part of a wall with battlements
which lies between two openings. [Fr., prob. through Low L. forms from L.
_murus_, a wall.]
MERMAID, m[.e]r'm[=a]d, _n._ a sea-woman, having the head and body of a
lovely woman to the waist, ending in the tail of a fish.--_ns._ MER'MAIDEN
(_Tenn._):--_masc._ MER'MAN; MER'MAID'S-GLOVE, the largest kind of British
sponge. [A.S. _mere_, a lake (influenced by Fr. _mer_, the sea), _mægden_,
maid.]
MEROBLAST, mer'[=o]-blast, _n._ a meroblastic ovum.--_adj._ MEROBLAST'IC,
undergoing segmentation only in the germinal disc, as the eggs of birds.
MEROGNOSTIC, mer-og-nos'tik, _n._ one who claims to know in part.--_n._
MEROGNOS'TICISM.
MEROPIDAN, me-rop'i-dan, _n._ a bird of the family of bee-eaters. [L.
_merops_, the bee-eater--Gr.]
MEROSOME, mer'[=o]-s[=o]m, _n._ one of the serial segments of which a body
is composed, as the ring of a worm, a metamere, a somite.
MEROVINGIAN, mer-o-vin'ji-an, _adj._ pertaining to the first dynasty of
Frankish kings in Gaul, named from _Merwig_, king of the western or Salian
Franks (448-457), grandfather of Clovis.
MERRY, mer'i, _adj._ sportive: cheerful: noisily gay: causing laughter:
lively.--_adv._ MERR'ILY.--_ns._ MERR'IMAKE, MERR'Y-MAKE (_Spens._), a
meeting for making merry, a festival, mirth.--_v.i._ to make merry, to
feast.--_ns._ MERR'IMENT, MERR'INESS, gaiety with laughter and noise:
mirth: hilarity; MERR'Y-AN'DREW, one who makes sport for others: a buffoon:
one who goes round with a mountebank or a quack doctor--also MERR'YMAN;
MERR'Y-GO-ROUND, a revolving ring of hobby-horses, &c., on which children
ride round at fairs, &c.; MERR'Y-MAK'ING, a merry entertainment, a
festival; MERR'Y-THOUGHT, the forked bone of a fowl's breast, which two
persons pull at in play, the one who breaks off the longer part being
thought likely to be first married. [A.S. _merg_, from the Celtic, as in
Gael. and Ir. _mear_, _merry_, Gael. _mir_, to sport.]