Lark
WordNet
noun
(1) Any carefree episode
(2) Any of numerous predominantly Old World birds noted for their singing
(3) A songbird that lives mainly on the ground in open country; has streaky brown plumage
(4) North American songbirds having a yellow breast
verb
(5) Play boisterously
"The children frolicked in the garden"
"The gamboling lambs in the meadows"
"The toddlers romped in the playroom"
WiktionaryText
English
Etymology 1
From late , from earlier , from a (cognates include Dutch , German ), of unknown origin. Some Old English and Old Norse forms suggest a compound meaning "treason-worker," but there is no preserved folk tale that ties into this theory.
Noun
- Any of various small, singing passerine birds of the family Alaudidae.
- Any of various resembling birds, usually ground-living, such as the meadowlark and titlark
- One who wakes early; one who is up with the larks.
Related terms
Etymology 2
Origin uncertain, either
- from (notably northern) English dialect / (c.1300, from ), with intrusive -r- common in southern British dialect.
- shortening of (1809), sailors' slang "play rough in the rigging of a ship" because the common European larks were proverbial for high-flying; Dutch has a similar idea in .