Dictionary Definition
lark
Noun
1 North American yellow-breasted songbirds [syn:
meadowlark]
3 any of numerous predominantly Old World birds
noted for their singing
4 any carefree episode [syn: escapade] v : play
boisterously; "The children frolicked in the garden"; "the
gamboling lambs in the meadows"; "The toddlers romped in the
playroom" [syn: frolic,
rollick, skylark, disport, sport, cavort, gambol, frisk, romp, run around,
lark
about]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- /lɑː(r)k/, /lA:(r)k/,
- Rhymes with: -ɑː(r)k
Etymology 1
From lawerce (late O.E. laferce), from a Proto-Germanic root laiw(a)rikon (cognates include Dutch leeuwerik, German Lerche), of unknown origin. Some O.E. and O.N. (lævirik) 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.
- various resembling birds, usually groundliving, such as the meadowlark and titlark
- One who wakes early; one who is up with the larks.
Synonyms
- italbrac-colon one who wakes early early bird, early riser
Related terms
- happy as a lark
- larker
- larkspur, plant
- skylark, the bird
Translations
bird
- Albanian: lauresha
- Arabic: (qubbara)
- Belarusian: жаваранак
- Bosnian: ševa
- Breton: alc’hweder
- Bulgarian: чучулига
- Catalan: alosa
- Croatian: ševa
- Czech: skřivan
- Danish: lærke
- Dutch: leeuwerik
- Esperanto: alaŭdo
- Estonian: lőoke
- Finnish: kiuru, leivo
- French: alouette
- Friulian: lodule, odule
- Galician: laverca
- German: Lerche
- Greek: σταρήθρα
- Hungarian: pacsirta
- Icelandic: lævirki
- Irish: fuiseog, circín starraiceach
- Italian: allòdola, lòdola
- Japanese: 雲雀 (ひばり, hibari)
- Korean: 종다리 (jongdari), 노고지리 (nogojiri)
- Kurdish:
- Ladino: lodola
- Latin: alauda
- Latvian: cīrulis
- Lithuanian: vieversys ; also vyturys
- Low Saxon: Levark, Lauerk, Levalk, Lark, Leerk, Lierk, Lurk
- Macedonian: чучулига (čučuliga)
- Maltese: alwetta
- Occitan: alauseta
- Old English: lāferce
- Polish: skowronek
- Portuguese: cotovia
- Romansh: lodola
- Romany: chiriklo-gilibano chirikli-gilibani
- Russian: жаворонок (žavoronok)
- Sami: leivvoš
- Sardinian: allòdola
- Scots: laverock
- Scottish Gaelic: uiseag
- Serbian:
- Slovak: škovránok
- Slovenian: škrjanec
- Spanish: alondra
- Swedish: lärka
- Ukrainian: жайворонок польовий
- Upper Sorbian: škowrončk
- Welsh: ehedydd
one who wakes early
- Finnish: aamuvirkku
Etymology 2
Origin uncertain, either- from (notably northern) English dialect lake/laik "to play" (c.1300, from leika "to play", as opposed to work), with intrusive -r- common in southern British dialect.
- shortening of skylark (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 speelvogel ('playbird', a person of markedly playful nature)
Translations
a bit of fun
References
Extensive Definition
Larks are passerine birds of the predominantly Old World
family Alaudidae. Only one species, the Shore Lark,
has spread to North
America, where it is called the Horned Lark.
Larks are small terrestrial birds with often
extravagant songs and display flights. This fact, combined with a
willingness to expand into anthropogenic habitats — as
long as these are not too intensively managed — has
ensured larks a prominent place in literature and music (the
skylark being eulogised in "The Lark
Ascending" (1914) by Ralph
Vaughan Williams, for example).
Larks nest on the ground, laying 2–6
speckled eggs. Like
many ground birds, most lark species have long hind claws, which
are thought to provide stability while standing.
Larks symbolise happiness, hope, good fortune,
freedom, joy, youth, creativity and a new day.
Species list in taxonomic order
- Monotonous Lark, Mirafra passerina
- Singing Bushlark, Mirafra cantillans
- Australasian Bushlark, Mirafra javanica
- Latakoo Lark, Mirafra cheniana
- White-tailed Lark, Mirafra albicauda
- Madagascar Lark, Mirafra hova
- Kordofan Lark, Mirafrawilliamsi
- Friedmann's Lark, Mirafra pulpa
- Red-winged Lark, Mirafra hypermetra
- Somali Long-billed Lark, Mirafra somalica
- Ash's Lark, Mirafra ashi
- Angola Lark, Mirafra angolensis
- Rufous-naped Lark, Mirafra africana
- Flappet Lark, Mirafra rufocinnamomea
- Clapper Lark, Mirafra apiata
- Collared Lark, Mirafra collaris
- Indian Bushlark or Red-winged Bushlark, Mirafra erythroptera
- Gillett's Lark, Mirafra gilletti
- Fawn-colored Lark, Mirafra africanoides (sometimes placed in Calendulauda)
- Rufous-winged Bushlark, Mirafra assamica
- Jerdon's Bushlark Mirafra affinis
- Rusty Lark, Mirafra rufa
- Pink-breasted Lark, Mirafra poecilosterna (sometimes placed in Calendulauda)
- Degodi Lark, Mirafra degodiensis
- Sabota Lark, Mirafra sabota(sometimes placed in Calendulauda)
- Rufous-rumped Lark, Pinarocorys erythropygia
- Dusky Lark, Pinarocorys nigricans
- Archer's Lark, Heteromirafra archeri
- Sidamo Lark, Heteromirafra sidamoensis
- Rudd's Lark, Heteromirafra ruddi
- Cape Lark, Certhilauda curvirostris
- Algulhas Long-billed Lark, Certhilauda brevirostris
- Eastern Long-billed Lark, Certhilauda semitorquata
- Karoo Long-billed Lark, Certhilauda subcoronata
- Benguela Lark, Certhilauda benguelensis
- Short-clawed Lark, Certhilauda chuana
- Dune Lark, Certhilauda erythrochlamys
- Karoo Lark, Certhilauda albescens
- Barlow's Lark, Certhilauda barlowi
- Ferruginous Lark, Certhilauda burra
- Spike-heeled Lark, Chersomanes albofasciata
- Black-eared Sparrow-lark, Eremopterix australis
- Chestnut-backed Sparrow-lark, Eremopterix leucotis
- Black-crowned Sparrow-lark, Eremopterix nigriceps
- Grey-backed Sparrow-lark, Eremopterix verticalis
- Chestnut-headed Sparrow-lark, Eremopterix signata
- Fischer's Sparrow-lark, Eremopterix leucopareia
- Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark, Eremopterix grisea
- Bar-tailed Lark, Ammomanes cincturus
- Rufous-tailed Lark, Ammomanes phoenicurus
- Desert Lark, Ammomanes deserti
- Gray's Lark, Ammomanes grayi
- Greater Hoopoe-lark, Alaemon alaudipes
- Lesser Hoopoe-lark, Alaemon hamertoni
- Thick-billed Lark, Ramphocoris clotbey
- Calandra Lark, Melanocorypha calandra
- Bimaculated Lark, Melanocorypha bimaculata
- Tibetan Lark, Melanocorypha maxima
- Mongolian Lark, Melanocorypha mongolica
- White-winged Lark, Melanocorypha leucoptera
- Black Lark, Melanocorypha yeltoniensis
- Greater Short-toed Lark, Calandrella brachydactyla
- Blanford's Lark, Calandrella blanfordi
- Hume's Lark, Calandrella acutirostris
- Lesser Short-toed Lark, Calandrella rufescens
- Red-capped Lark, Calandrella cinerea
- Asian Short-toed Lark, Calandrella cheleensis
- Sand Lark, Calandrella raytal
- Somali Short-toed Lark, Calandrella somalica
- Pink-billed Lark, Spizocorys conirostris
- Botha's Lark, Spizocorys fringillaris
- Sclater's Lark, Spizocorys sclateri
- Obbia Lark, Spizocorys obbiensis
- Masked Lark, Spizocorys personata
- Dunn's Lark, Eremalauda dunni
- Stark's Lark, Eremalauda starki
- Dupont's Lark, Chersophilus duponti
- Crested Lark, Galerida cristata
- Thekla Lark, Galerida theklae
- Malabar Lark, Galerida malabarica
- Sun Lark, Galerida modesta
- Sykes's Lark, Tawny Lark or Sykes' Crested Lark, Galerida deva
- Large-billed Lark, Galerida magnirostris
- Short-tailed Lark, Pseudalaemon fremantlii
- Wood Lark, Lullula arborea
- Skylark, Alauda arvensis
- Japanese Skylark, Alauda japonica
- Oriental Skylark, Alauda gulgula
- Raso Skylark, Alauda razae
- Shore Lark or Horned Lark, Eremophila alpestris
- Temminck's Lark, Eremophila bilopha
See also
- Lark Bunting
- Lark Sparrow
- Magpie-lark (Neither a lark nor a magpie, but a giant Monarch flycatcher)
- Meadowlark
- Titlark, a synonym for Meadow Pipit
- Songlark
References
- Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds
External links
- Lark videos on the Internet Bird Collection
lark in Arabic: قبرة
lark in Bulgarian: Чучулигови
lark in Catalan: Alaudidae
lark in German: Lerchen
lark in Spanish: Alaudidae
lark in Esperanto: Alaŭdedoj
lark in French: Alaudidae
lark in Ido: Alaudo
lark in Italian: Alaudidae
lark in Lithuanian: Vieversiniai
lark in Hungarian: Pacsirtafélék
lark in Marathi: चंडोल
lark in Dutch: Leeuweriken
lark in Japanese: ヒバリ科 (Sibley)
lark in Norwegian: Lerkefamilien
lark in Norwegian Nynorsk: Lerkefamilien
lark in Polish: Skowronki
lark in Portuguese: Cotovia
lark in Russian: Жаворонковые
lark in Sicilian: Alaudidae
lark in Finnish: Kiurut
lark in Swedish: Lärkor
lark in Turkish: Bayağı toygar
lark in Chinese: 百灵科
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Philomel, adventure, antic, bat, bender, binge, bout, bulbul, bust, canary, caper, carousal, carouse, cavort, celebrate, celebration, cuckoo, cut loose, debauch, drinking bout, eagle, escapade, feathered songster,
fling, frolic, gambol, game, hell around, horseplay, jape, jollify, jolly, let go, let loose, let off
steam, make merry, make whoopee, mavis, mischief, mockingbird, monkeyshine, nightingale, orgy, oriole, play, ploy, practical joke, prank, raise hell, randan, randy, revel, ringdove, rocket, roister, rollick, romp, see life, shenanigan, shenanigans, shines, singing bird, skylark, skyrocket, song sparrow,
songbird, songster, sport, spree, step out, tear, thrush, tomfoolery, toot, trick, wanton, warbler, whoop it up, wingding