martin

Any of several species of birds belonging to the swallow family. (Family Hirundinidae, order Passeriformes.)

Only one species, the purple martin (Progne subis), is native to North America. It is a dark, glossy purplish blue and about 20 cm/8 in long with a notched tail. It winters in South America.

martin

In singing, a baritone voice of exceptional range. It is named after the French singer Jean Blaise Martin (1768–1837), who specialized in comic roles in operas by Dalaryac, Boieldieu, and Méhul.

Martin (1579–1639)

Peruvian social reformer. He became a Dominican in 1603. His powers of healing, his saintly personal life, and his work among the poor and outcast established him as a pioneer social worker. He was beatified by Gregory XVI (1837), and canonized by John XXIII (1962).

He was born in Lima, Peru. His father was Don Juan de Porres, a Spanish knight, and his mother was Anna Velazquez, a woman from Panama.

Martin

City in Weakley County, northwestern Tennessee, situated on Cane Creek, 21 km/13 mi east-southeast of Union City; population (1990) 8,600. Martin lies in an area known for market gardening, tobacco growing, and dairy farming. A campus of the University of Tennessee (founded 1927) is located in the city.