merlion
Often Merlion: a symbolic creature having the head of a lion and the body of a fish,…Often Merlion: a symbolic creature having the head of a lion and the body of a fish, which is a national symbol of Singapore; an image, statue, or other depiction of this creature.
Meaning
3 senses(Singapore)Often Merlion: a symbolic creature having the head of a lion and the body of a fish, which is a national symbol of Singapore; an image, statue, or other depiction of this creature.
A fictional creature of similar make-up.
A depiction of a bird similar to a house martin or swallow with stylized feet; a martlet.
Origin
From mer- + lion; sense 1 promoted by the Singapore Tourism Board as the name of a statueFrom mer- + lion; sense 1 promoted by the Singapore Tourism Board as the name of a statue installed at the mouth of the Singapore River on 15 September 1972.
Probably a variant of merlin, from Middle English merlioun, merlinge, marlyon, merlion, merlone, merlyon, from Old French emerillon, esmerillon, from Frankish *smiril (“falcon, hawk”), from Proto-Germanic *smirilaz (“falcon, merlin”).
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