Märt'let, n.
n. [Fr. martinet. See MARTIN.]
Sense 1. A kind of swallow; a martin.
Sense 2. (Her.) A martin, or other little bird, represented without feet, as a mark of distinction for younger sons, to remind them that they must rise by the wings of virtue and merit, not trusting to their feet, since they have little land to set foot on. Crabb.