Lark

Pronunciation

• UK enPR: läk, IPA: /lɑːk/
• US enPR: lärk, IPA: /lɑːɹk/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(r)k

Alternative forms

• laverock, lavrock

From Middle English larke, laverke, from Old English lāwerce, lǣwerce, lāuricæ, from Proto-Germanic *laiwazikǭ (compare dialectal West Frisian larts, Dutch leeuwerik, German Lerche), from *laiwaz (borrowed into Finnish leivo, Estonian lõo), of unknown ultimate origin with no known cognates outside of Germanic.

Full definition of lark

Noun

1. Any of various small, singing passerine birds of the family Alaudidae.
2. Any of various similar-appearing birds, but usually ground-living, such as the meadowlark and titlark.
3. One who wakes early; one who is up with the larks.

Synonyms

• (one who wakes early) early bird, early riser

Hyponyms

• (species in Alaudidae) woodlark, skylark, magpie-lark, horned lark, sea lark, crested lark, shorelark

Related terms

• happy as a lark
• lark bunting
• larker
• lark sparrow
• larkspur, plant
• skylark, the bird

Verb

1. To catch larks.to go larking

Origin uncertain, either

• from a northern English dialectal term lake/laik ("to play") (around 1300, from Old Norse leika ("to play (as opposed to work)")), with an intrusive -r- as is common in southern British dialects; or
• a shortening of skylark (1809), sailors' slang, "play roughly in the rigging of a ship", because the common European larks were proverbial for high-flying; Dutch has a similar idea in speelvogel ("playbird, a person of markedly playful nature").

Noun

1. A romp, frolic, some fun.
2. A prank.

Synonyms

• whim, especially in phrase on a whim

Derived terms

• on a lark

Verb

1. To sport, engage in harmless pranking.
2. To frolic, engage in carefree adventure.

Anagrams

• Karl