merle

noun
UK: /mɜːl/
US: /mɜːrl/

  1. A color or pattern in animals, especially dogs, characterized by irregular dark blotches on a lighter background.

    1. The dog is a merle. [ ] [ ]
    2. The breeder specializes in blue merle Australian Shepherds, which are beautiful. [ ] [ ]
merle verb

  1. To mark or become marked with irregular dark blotches on a lighter background.

    1. Her hair began to merle. [ ] [ ]
    2. The artist decided to merle the canvas with shades of grey and brown. [ ] [ ]
merle adjective

  1. Having a color pattern of irregular dark blotches on a lighter background.

    1. It was a merle color. [ ] [ ]
    2. The merle coat of the dog made it stand out in the show ring. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "merle" is /mɜːl/ in British English and /mɜːrl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Example usage of "merle": "The dog is a merle.". More examples on the page.