7 letters · 9 points in Scrabble
noun a small usually tarred line of 2 strands
originFrom Middle English merlin, from Middle Low German marling, from Middle Dutch marlijn (“cord”), from marlen (“secure, fasten”), frequentative of maren (“to moor”), from Proto-Germanic *mairōną (“to moor, fasten to”), from Proto-Indo-European *mer-.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0