martlet

martlet (plural martlets)

1. (obsolete) A bird, the martin.
   • 1862, William Tiler, The Natural History of Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, Insects, &c

     “As in a drought the thirsty creatures cry,
     And gape upon the gather'd clouds for rain;
     Then, first, the Martlet meets it in the sky,
     And, with wet wings, joys all the feather'd train.”

2. (heraldry) A depiction of a bird similar to a house martin or swallow with stylized feet.

• merlion (rare)

• merlette (“mythological bird in French heraldry depicted with no beak or feet”)

• martlet on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• Marlett