Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

merlon

/ˈmɝl(ə)n/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.14 in modern English

Syllables
mer-lon
IPA
/ˈmɝl(ə)n/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of the upright projections between the embrasures of a battlement, originally for archers to shield behind while shooting arrows over the embrasures, or through loopholes in the merlons.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from French merlon, from Italian merlone (“merlon”), from merlo (“merlon”) + -one (suffix forming augmentatives). Merlo is derived from Late Latin merulus, merlus, possibly from Latin merula (“blackbird”) (as merlons resemble a row of birds perched on a wall), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ems- (“black; blackbird”). The English word is cognate with Italian mergolo (“battlement; pinnacle”), Portuguese merlão, Spanish merlón (“merlon”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmɝl(ə)n/
  • British English: /ˈmɜːlən/

Inflected Forms

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce merlon?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɝl(ə)n/.
What does merlon mean?
Any of the upright projections between the embrasures of a battlement, originally for archers to shield behind while shooting arrows over the embrasures, or through loopholes in the merlons.
Where does merlon come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce merlon

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “merlon”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɝl(ə)n/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “merlon”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “merlon” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.