lark

[ lahrk ]

/ lɑrk /

noun

a merry, carefree adventure; frolic; escapade.

innocent or good-natured mischief; a prank.

something extremely easy to accomplish, succeed in, or to obtain: That exam was a lark.

verb (used without object)

to have fun; frolic; romp.

to behave mischievously; play pranks.

Fox Hunting. (of a rider) to take jumps unnecessarily: He tired his horse by larking on the way home.

Nearby words

larine, larisa, larissa, larithmics, larixinic acid, larky, lark bunting, lark it up, lark sparrow, larkin, larkin, philip

Origin of lark

First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

Related forms

lark·er, nounlark·i·ness, lark·ish·ness, nounlark·ing·ly, adverblark·ish, lark·y, adjective

lark·ish·ly, adverblark·some, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for larky

His book, he hopes, combines science, geopolitics, and larky history.
BP, Putin, and the Power of Oil|Tim Teeman|March 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was surprising that I even took such a dark role, but also, in the context of the role there are larky moments.
John Lithgow's Killer Role|Claire Martin|December 11, 2009|DAILY BEAST
But pooty, and larky no doubt, so I tips her a wink and a smile.
Punch Among the Planets|Various
His eldest son, Bobby—a boy of about nine or ten—is said to be the most larky boy in the settlement.
Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished|R.M. Ballantyne

When he came on board at Sandridge, he looked as frisky and larky as a boy.
A Boy's Voyage Round the World|The Son of Samuel Smiles
She appears to have Irish virtue in excess, and I expect the larky would get short shrift from her.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
There was with us a genial, pleasant, larky young fellow, one of the famous family of the MacCooks.
Memoirs|Charles Godfrey Leland

British Dictionary definitions for larky (1 of 3)

larky

/ (ˈlɑːkɪ) /

adjective larkier or larkiest informal

frolicsome or mischievous

British Dictionary definitions for larky (2 of 3)

lark

/ (lɑːk) /

noun

any brown songbird of the predominantly Old World family Alaudidae, esp the skylark: noted for their singing

short for titlark, meadowlark

(often capital) any of various slender but powerful fancy pigeons, such as the Coburg Lark

up with the lark up early in the morning

Word Origin for lark

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

British Dictionary definitions for larky (3 of 3)

lark

/ (lɑːk) informal /

noun

a carefree adventure or frolic

a harmless piece of mischief

what a lark! how amusing!

verb (intr)

(often foll by about) to have a good time by frolicking

to play a prank

Derived Formslarker, nounlarkish, adjectivelarkishness, noun

Word Origin for lark

C19: originally slang, perhaps related to laik

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for larky (1 of 2)

lark

n.1

"songbird," early 14c., earlier lauerche (c.1200), from Old English lawerce (late Old English laferce), from Proto-Germanic *laiw(a)rikon (cf. Old Saxon lewerka, Frisian liurk, Old Norse lævirik, Dutch leeuwerik, German Lerche), of unknown origin. Some Old English and Old Norse forms suggest a compound meaning "treason-worker," but there is no folk tale to explain or support this.

Word Origin and History for larky (1 of 2)

lark

n.2

"spree, frolic," 1811, possibly shortening of skylark (1809), sailors' slang "play rough in the rigging of a ship" (larks were proverbial for high-flying), or from English dialectal lake/laik "to play" (c.1300, from Old Norse leika "to play," from PIE *leig- "to leap") with intrusive -r- common in southern British dialect. The verb lake, considered characteristic of Northern English vocabulary, is the opposite of work but lacks the other meanings of play. As a verb, from 1813. Related: Larked; larking.

Idioms and Phrases with larky

lark

In addition to the idiom beginning with lark

lark it up

also see:

happy as the day is long (as a lark)