Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An Old World lark (Alauda arvensis) having brownish plumage and noted for its singing while in flight.
- v. To play actively and boisterously; frolic.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The common lark of Europe, Alauda arvensis: so called because it mounts toward the sky and sings as it flies. Also called sky-laverock, rising-lark, field-lark, short-heeled lark, etc. The name extends to some other true larks, and also to a few of the pipits.
- To engage in boisterous fun or frolic.
Wiktionary
- n. A small brown passerine bird, Alauda arvensis, that sings as it flies high into the air.
- v. To jump about joyfully, frolic; to play around, play tricks.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) A lark that mounts and sings as it files, especially the common species (Alauda arvensis) found in Europe and in some parts of Asia, and celebrated for its melodious song; -- called also
sky laverock . See under lark.
WordNet 3.0
- v. play boisterously
- n. brown-speckled European lark noted for singing while hovering at a great height
Etymologies
- From sky + lark. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“If It isn't a ticket that includes Hillary, I will vote for McCain skylark”
“All country people know that the skylark is a very shy bird; that its abode is the open fields; that it settles on the ground only; that it seeks safety in the wideness of space; that it avoids enclosures, and is never seen in gardens.”
“In some ways the skylark is the sweetest singer we have; only certain of the thrushes rival it, but though the songs of the latter have perhaps even more melody, they are far from being as uninterrupted and well sustained, being rather a succession of broken bursts of music.”
“Shelley called skylark a blithe spirit because of its happy song.”
“BLITHE X CHEERLESS Meaning: Gay, joyous Usage: Shelley called skylark a blithe spirit because of its happy song.”
“He proposed simple solutions such as skylark breeding plots, which farmers are already beginning to take up.”
“Bride: Though the skylark neither soars nor singsof a joy whose race is just beginning, I thee wed.”
“Only a few other North American sparrows have ever been observed to "skylark".”
The Guardian: Mystery bird: Cassin's sparrow, Peucaea cassinii
“Somewhere overhead a skylark, the first I've heard this year, is singing.”
“The skylark finds its way into our art and into our music.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘skylark’.
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Brand Theft Auto
A marque list for cars--models or companies who've used common words as their name.
explorer, navigator, frontier, mustang, quest, cougar, sidekick, legend, legacy, ranger, voyager, civic and 266 more...
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birds
birds with singular names from
at least 9 English dictionariesaasvogel, aberdevine, accentor, accipiter, aepyornis, agami, albatross, alcatras, alcid, alcidine, amadavat, amokura and 1056 more...
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♥
ambrosia, inamorata, gossamer, lily-white, hummingbird, roucoulement, poppy, daisy, calypso, lunula, lamb, dove and 1526 more...
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Words I like as names
It's exactly what it sounds like. And yeah, for real people as much as characters. Big surprise.
corbeau, alameda, hanabi, milk, promise, edelweiss, delphinium, jubilate, jubilance, jocoserious, arrow, angeles and 141 more...
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My Little Ponies
A list of My Little Pony names from the original (G1) collection. 1982-1992
cotton candy, butterscotch, blossom, blue belle, minty, snuzzle, seashell, bubbles, bow tie, applejack, sunbeam, medley and 352 more...
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Moby-Dick
Interesting words and usages.
hypo, spile, hunks, grapnel, squitchy, skrimshander, monkey jacket, direful, grego, wrapall, dreadnaught, bosky and 158 more...
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Sunbeam
Zoom'om'om; inspiration, vitality, solemness, and sunrays...
inspiral, activation, envision, myselves, recognition, imagination, repattern, exponential, flashforward, syncronicity, swish, sensation and 177 more...
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my words
interminable, effete, convocation, philistines, malaise, foibles, deputation, anathematized, morass, stalwart, proselytize, abet and 405 more...
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Under Milk Wood
moonless, night, starless, bible-black, cobblestreets, silent, hunched, courters-and-rabbits, invisible, limping, sloeblack, crowblack and 95 more...
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Aves
robin, thrush, halcyon, greenfinch, yellowhammer, passer, blue tit, sparrow, finch, cardinal, nightingale, skylark and 19 more...
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hauntedtapedeck's Words
hinterland, palimpsest, palisade, thaumaturgy, sangfroid, frisson, crick, patchwork, susurration, disconsolate, septum, elbow and 119 more...
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S is for Sweater Puppy
My S Words
secret agent, sweater puppy, skivvies, soda jerk, surly, space madness, sad sack, sadsack, scoundrel, scrabble, shaken teddy bear..., saucy and 181 more...
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Still More Bird Wirds
A work in progress....Birds from around the world (other than endemic to North America).
barbet, hornbill, trogon, bee-eater, bristlehead, wren-babbler, stubtail, blackeye, bush warbler, cassowary, bowerbird, bird-of-paradise and 722 more...
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_mark's list
Words I like!
( personal list, favorite words, randomness )psy, nanobot, success, smack, vibration, microcosmic, springgraph, marksmanship, estranged, homoerotic, flex, fiasco and 1695 more...
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Cherished
blóm, alacrity, zephyr, skylark, hot springs, carouse, pallasethesia, twilight, vivific, hootenanny, sastruga, raconteur and 9 more...
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Immrama
Magical Celtic Voyages
literally 'rowings about'The Voyage of Mae..., The Voyage of the..., The Voyage of Sne..., Voyage of St. Bre..., peregrinatio, The Voyage of the..., immrama, Vita Columbae, Vita Albie, Vita Fintani seu ..., peripteral, repechage and 85 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for skylark.
yarb "Young man," said Bildad sternly, "thou art skylarking with me--explain thyself, thou young Hittite."
- Melville, Moby-Dick, ch. 18 Jul 23, 2008