martlet

[ mahrt-lit ]

/ ˈmɑrt lɪt /

British Dialect. a house martin.

Heraldry. a representation of a swallow close and without legs, used especially as the cadency mark of a fourth son.

Origin of martlet

1530–40; < Middle French martelet, variant of martinet; see martin, -et

Commoner than the eagle as a charge is the martlet, a humbler bird which is never found as the sole charge of a shield.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 3 |Various
The Martlet is another example of the curious perpetuation in heraldry of the popular errors of natural history.

A Complete Guide to Heraldry |Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
Martlet and I both feel that we must have the north-west tower.

The Young Castellan |George Manville Fenn
The martlet is the appropriate “difference” or mark of cadency for the fourth son.

Fictitious & Symbolic Creatures in Art |John Vinycomb

At any rate, whether this be true or false, the martlet certainly is never represented in heraldry with feet.

A Complete Guide to Heraldry |Arthur Charles Fox-Davies

martlet

/ (ˈmɑːtlɪt) /

an archaic name for a martin

heraldry a footless bird often found in coats of arms, standing for either a martin or a swallow

C16: from French martelet, variant of martinet, diminutive of martin