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prettygoodwordmerle (MURL) - n., the common or Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula). adj., (of a dog) having a coat pattern of bluish or reddish grey with splotches of, respectively, black or red-brown. n., a dog with a merle coat.
So either this:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
or this:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
The two senses are actually unrelated -- the bird is from Middle English merule, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French, from Latin merula, blackbird, from PIE root *hâ‚‚mes-, black/blackbird (which through Germanic pathways resulted in ouzel, another name for the same bird), while the coloration popped up in 1905 without any hint of its origin.
---L.
So either this:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
or this:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
The two senses are actually unrelated -- the bird is from Middle English merule, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French, from Latin merula, blackbird, from PIE root *hâ‚‚mes-, black/blackbird (which through Germanic pathways resulted in ouzel, another name for the same bird), while the coloration popped up in 1905 without any hint of its origin.
---L.
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Date: 2023-01-20 10:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-01-23 02:45 pm (UTC)