Word.ws English Dictionary

merlion

Syllables: mer·li·on/ˈmɜːˌlaɪən/US/ˈmɚˌlaɪən/

merlion noun: 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. Also the alternative form of merlin.

merlion: often Merlion: a symbolic creature having the head of a lion and the body of a fish, which is a...
Image: Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun (1)

merlion (plural merlions)

  1. (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.
    • In 1995, a second Merlion was built on the island of Sentosa. This new Merlion is actually a 37-metre high panoramic tower, from which it is possible to view mainland Singapore and the Straits of Singapore[…]. A new "ancient legend" was created for this creature with this tower. The legend alleged...2002, Can-Seng Ooi, Cultural Tourism and Tourism Cultures: The Business of Mediating Experiences in Copenhagen and Singapore, Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press, →ISBN, pages 109–110
    • Like Changi Airport or the Merlion, Singlish is something that is quintessentially Singaporean. It is a dialect that everyone speaks and understands and is something that could provide the cornerstone for a unifying cultural identity.2005, Neil Humphreys, chapter 11, in Notes from an Even Smaller Island: Singapore through a Young Brit’s Eyes, Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, →ISBN, page 174
  2. A fictional creature of similar make-up.
    • There were night penguins that emitted green light only when hunting in dark seas, and merlions whose manes were fringed with pallid lavender.2000, Alan Dean Foster, A Triumph of Souls, New York, N.Y.: Aspect/Warner Books, →ISBN

Noun (2)

UK/ˈməːlɪ.ən/US/ˈmɚˌlɪ.ən/

merlion (plural merlions)

  1. A depiction of a bird similar to a house martin or swallow with stylized feet; a martlet.
    • He beareth two coats quarterly, with an Inſcocheon of pretence, viz. The firſt, per bend nebulee, Or and Sable, a Lion Rampant counterchained, by the name of Sympſon; The ſecond, Argent, a Feſſe, Gules, between three Merlions, or Sparhawks, Sable, beaks and legs, Or, by the name of Oneſlow; […]1666, John Guillim, “Section VI, Chapter I”, in A Display of Herauldry: […], 6th edition, London: […] John Williams […], and Joshua Kirton […]; Humphrey Tuckey […], and Francis Tyton […], →OCLC, page...
    • Martlet, or merlion, a fabulous bird, of constant adoption in armorials, shaped like a martin or swallow, and always drawn without legs, with short tufts of feathers instead, divided into two parts, somewhat like an erasure, and forming, as it were, thighs. This is the distinctive mark of the...[1884, Bernard Burke, “Dictionary of Terms Used in Heraldry”, in The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales; […], 2nd edition, London: Harrison & Sons, […], →OCLC, page xli

Proper noun capitalized: Merlion

Merlion

  1. Alternative letter-case form of merlion (“imaginary creature that is a national symbol of Singapore”).
    • In 1995, a second Merlion was built on the island of Sentosa. This new Merlion is actually a 37-metre high panoramic tower, from which it is possible to view mainland Singapore and the Straits of Singapore[…]. A new "ancient legend" was created for this creature with this tower. The legend alleged...2002, Can-Seng Ooi, Cultural Tourism and Tourism Cultures: The Business of Mediating Experiences in Copenhagen and Singapore, Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press, →ISBN, pages 109–110
    • Like Changi Airport or the Merlion, Singlish is something that is quintessentially Singaporean. It is a dialect that everyone speaks and understands and is something that could provide the cornerstone for a unifying cultural identity.2005, Neil Humphreys, chapter 11, in Notes from an Even Smaller Island: Singapore through a Young Brit’s Eyes, Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, →ISBN, page 174

Also used as

merlion is also the alternative form of merlin.

Examples of merlion in a sentence

  • In 1995, a second Merlion was built on the island of Sentosa.2002, Can-Seng Ooi, Cultural Tourism and Tourism Cultures: The Business of Mediating Experiences in Copenhagen and Singapore, Copenhagen...
  • Yeah, well, he went into a tourist shop, not the one with postcards and plastic Merlions.2015, Neil Humphreys, chapter 9, in Marina Bay Sins, Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, →ISBN:
  • And in the fourteenth century / Because of Nila Utama's river mouth encounter with a merlion / The Lion City surged into being / And its people could travel the wide world2015, Wong Yoon Wah, “Metamorphosis: Temasek”, in Jeremy Tiang, transl., edited by Gwee Li Sui with Tan Chee Lay, Sa'eda bte Buang, and...
  • Under the spray of water was a statue of the so-called merlion, the mythical beast that was the symbol of the tourist industry here.2016, Karen Harper, chapter 1, in Chasing Shadows (A South Shore Novel), Don Mills, Ont.: Harlequin MIRA, →ISBN:

Forms of merlion

pluralmerlions
alternative formMerlion

Origin of merlion

From 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”).

Questions about merlion

What does merlion mean?
Merlion means 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.
How do you use merlion in a sentence?
In 1995, a second Merlion was built on the island of Sentosa.
What part of speech is merlion?
Merlion can be a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce merlion?
Merlion is pronounced /ˈmɜːˌlaɪən/ (UK).
What is the plural of merlion?
The plural of merlion is merlions.

Words near merlion in the dictionary

  1. Merlinic
  2. Merlino
  3. merlinoite
  4. Merlinos
  5. merlins
  6. merlion
  7. merlions
  8. Merlo
  9. merlon
  10. merlons
  11. Merlos

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: merlion (page history and authors); Merlion (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-merlion (lion).wav.

Cite this entry: “merlion.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/merlion. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.