merlion

merlion · noun¹

From mer- + lion; sense 1 promoted by the Singapore Tourism Board as the name of a statue installed at the mouth of the Singapore River on 15 September 1972.

merlion · noun²

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*smirilaz“falcon, merlin”
2. Frankish · derived from*smiril“falcon, hawk”
3. Old French · derived fromemerillon
4. Middle English · inherited frommerlioun
5. English todaymerlion

Probably a variant of merlin, from Middle English merlioun, merlinge, marlyon, merlion, merlone, merlyon, from Old French emerillon, esmerillon, from Frankish *smiril (“falcon, hawk”), from Proto-Germanic *smirilaz (“falcon, merlin”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 1970s Often Merlion: a symbolic creature having the head of a lion and the body of a fish, which is a national symbol of Singapore; an image, statue, or other depiction of this creature.
• from late 15th c. A depiction of a bird similar to a house martin or swallow with stylized feet; a martlet.