lark

¹

[ lahrk ]

noun

1. any of numerous, chiefly Old World oscine birds, of the family Alaudidae, characterized by an unusually long, straight hind claw, especially the skylark, Alauda arvensis.
2. any of various similar birds of other families, as the meadowlark and titlark.

lark

²

[ lahrk ]

noun

1. a merry, carefree adventure; frolic; escapade.
2. innocent or good-natured mischief; a prank.
3. something extremely easy to accomplish, succeed in, or to obtain:

   That exam was a lark.

verb (used without object)

1. to have fun; frolic; romp.
2. to behave mischievously; play pranks.
3. Fox Hunting. (of a rider) to take jumps unnecessarily:

   He tired his horse by larking on the way home.

lark

¹

/ lɑːk /

noun

1. a carefree adventure or frolic
2. a harmless piece of mischief
3. what a lark!
   how amusing!

verb

1. often foll by about to have a good time by frolicking
2. to play a prank

lark

²

/ lɑːk /

noun

1. any brown songbird of the predominantly Old World family Alaudidae, esp the skylark: noted for their singing
2. short for titlark meadowlark
3. often capital any of various slender but powerful fancy pigeons, such as the Coburg Lark
4. up with the lark
   up early in the morning

Derived Forms

• ˈlarker, noun
• ˈlarkishness, noun
• ˈlarkish, adjective

Other Words From

• larker noun
• larki·ness larkish·ness noun
• larking·ly adverb
• larkish larky adjective
• larkish·ly adverb
• larksome adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lark¹

before 900; Middle English larke, Old English lāwerce; cognate with German Lerche, Dutch leeuwerik, Old Norse lǣvirki

Origin of lark²

First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of lark¹

C19: originally slang, perhaps related to laik

Origin of lark²

Old English lāwerce, lǣwerce, of Germanic origin; related to German Lerche, Icelandic lǣvirki

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with lark , also see happy as the day is long (as a lark) .

Example Sentences

What began as a lark turned into Noah Basketball, named not-so-subtly for the biblical Noah’s ark story.

From FiveThirtyEight

Having a quest is an excellent way to travel, even if it’s just a lark.

From Outside Online

There are many other reasons why couples are increasingly choosing to sleep apart, including differences in sleep-wake schedules—she’s a lark, he’s an owl, differences in work schedules, and children, to name a few.

From Time

It was all just a lark, a prank pulled by Jones to pass the stagnant time.

From The Daily Beast

Topher Grace, a varsity tennis player, got hurt, decided to do a school play on a lark and BAM!

From Ozy

Free Crimea, we ultimately discover, is the work of a drunken Brit on a lark.

From The Daily Beast

But what started as a lark became a professional passion for Holland.

From The Daily Beast

The idea was conceived by a food scientist at Brigham Young University, who added dry ice to the cultured dairy on a lark.

From The Daily Beast

Like so many young girls, she tried modeling as a lark, a way of escaping the humdrum and finding glamour.

From The Daily Beast

Mercury on a lark in your opposite sign calls for expressions that run counter to the woulda-shoulda-coulda loop in your mind.

From The Daily Beast

Hence Shakespeare speaks of 'the lark, that tirra-lyra chants,' Wint.

From Project Gutenberg

High overhead a lark was pouring out its song; in the lane at the orchard end rang the beat of trotting hoofs.

From Project Gutenberg

Or how is it that grass grows in the fields, and the lark sings in the sky, and the trees lose their leaves in winter?

From Project Gutenberg

He was as gay as a lark, humming an Oppra tune, and twizzting round his head his hevy gold-headed cane.

From Project Gutenberg

Up we marched to our apartmince, me carrying the light and the cloax, master hummink a hair out of the oppra, as merry as a lark.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• prank