skylark

[ skahy-lahrk ]

noun

1. a brown-speckled European lark, Alauda arvensis, famed for its melodious song.

verb (used without object)

1. to frolic; sport:

   The children were skylarking on the beach.

skylark

/ ˈskaɪˌlɑːk /

noun

1. an Old World lark, Alauda arvensis, noted for singing while hovering at a great height
2. any of various Australian larks

verb

1. informal.
   intr to romp or play jokes

Derived Forms

• ˈskyˌlarker, noun

Other Words From

• skylarker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of skylark¹

First recorded in 1770–80; sky + lark ¹

Example Sentences

Other newspapers’ nicknames for her — the California nightingale, the California skylark — were not just about her immense vocal range, but about the wonder and novelty that California, of all places, could claim such a woman.

From Los Angeles Times

He chalked up the incident as “a case where the skylarking and tomfoolery in an employment context has gone awry.”

From Los Angeles Times

He told the court this was a case of "skylarking and tomfoolery" that had "gone awry".

From BBC

Nightingale, greenfinch, grey partridge, marsh tit, skylark, nightjar and tree pipit - all Red List species - have been recorded.

From BBC

“Showers of rice” were thrown by “the jolly young people who had been skylarking the afternoon away in the White House,” the New York Times reported.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• panic
• uproar