noun, feminine/mɛʁ.lɛt/plural: merlettes
the merlette; female blackbird
Synonyms: merlesse
From merle + -ette, literally “little blackbird”, the word for the male blackbird being mostly female until the 16th century (a male: "une merle", a little male: "une merlette"). Meaning 2 (hen blackbird) appears in 1839.