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English Lexicon

Merle

/mɜːrl/
nounadjectiveCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #28400 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A coat pattern in dogs, characterized by a solid base color with patches of lighter pigmentation or mottling.

    "The Australian Shepherd is well known for its striking blue merle coat."
As adjective
  1. 1

    Having a mottled or patched fur coloration resulting from the merle genetic trait.

    "She adopted a beautiful merle collie puppy from the shelter."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The word originates from the Old French 'merle', meaning blackbird (from Latin 'merula'), which was later adopted in English ornithology. In the 19th century, the term was borrowed back into English from French to describe a mottled or flecked coat color pattern in dogs, particularly sheepdogs.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

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Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Merle"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

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