There appears to be no commonly accepted spelling for the word "marlet," though it may be a variant of "martlet." This term refers to a mythical bird often depicted with only a small tuft of feathers on its head instead of a full crest. The phonetic transcription for "martlet" is / ˈmɑt.lət /, with stress on the second syllable. The pronunciation is similar to "MAR-tlet," with a short "a" sound like in "cat" and a soft "t" at the end.
The word "marlet" has its origin in heraldry, where it refers to a mythical bird. The etymology of the word is uncertain, but it is believed to derive from the Old French word "merlette", which means a small blackbird or martin. The Old French term, in turn, comes from the Latin word "merula", meaning blackbird. Over time, the word "merlette" evolved to "marlet" in English heraldic language. The marlet is often depicted without beak or legs, which further solidifies its mythical nature.