Etymograph

English

martin

Martin comes from Middle French martin.

  1. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600martin1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1842martin1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English martin
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1842, Alfred Tennyson, The Day-Dream. The Sleeping Palace.: “Roof-haunting martins warm their eggs: / In these, in…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600martinWiktionary, English martin
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1842martinWiktionary, English martin. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1842, Alfred Tennyson, The Day-Dream. The Sleeping Palace.: “Roof-haunting martins warm their eggs: / In these, in…”

Every English word from Middle French martin

Today it means

noun Many of the various passerine birds of the family Hirundinidae, which also includes swallows, that catch insects whilst flying.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “martin”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle French martin / martin

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