clark

IPA/ˌleɪk klɑːk ˌnæʃ.ən.əl pɑːk ən prɪˈzɜːv/
KK[klˈɑrk]IPA/ˌleɪk klɑːrk ˌnæʃ.ən.əl pɑːrk ən prɪˈzɜːv/

clark — noun

1. A common English family name carried by many well-known people in history, inclu

1.nounB1
Definition

A common English family name carried by many well-known people in history, including the American soldier and frontiersman George Rogers Clark (1752–1818), his younger brother the explorer William Clark (1770–1838), the New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark (born 1950), the Canadian prime minister Joe Clark (born 1939), the American general Mark Wayne Clark (1896–1984), the American psychologist Kenneth B. Clark (1914–2005), the British art historian Kenneth Clark (1903–1983), and the American jurist Tom Campbell Clark (1899–1977).

Example

Ryo wrote his school history report on the explorer William Clark.

proper noun: surname of a historical figure

Many New Zealanders still remember Helen Clark as the prime minister who led the country for nine years.

collocation: Prime Minister Clark (political figure)

Common collocations
  • Lewis and Clark
  • Mr. Clark
  • President Clark
  • Prime Minister Clark

Usage Note

Frequently appears with a first name (Helen Clark, William Clark) or in the fixed pair 'Lewis and Clark' that names the famous westward expedition. Used both as a real-life surname and as a common surname for fictional characters.

Common Mistakes

Lewis and Clark were two French explorers.
Lewis and Clark were two American explorers.
both men served the United States, not France.

2. Short name for Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, a wild area of about 16,00

2.nounC1
Definition

Short name for Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, a wild area of about 16,000 square kilometres in the southern part of the U.S. state of Alaska. The park is full of lakes, glaciers, and volcanoes, and has no roads — most visitors arrive by small plane.

Example

Felipe took a small plane from Anchorage into Lake Clark to film the brown bears.

Lake Clark as the full place name

Park rangers at Clark keep a careful count of the salmon swimming up the rivers each summer.

highlights: 'at Clark' for the park location

Common collocations
  • Lake Clark
  • in Lake Clark
  • Lake Clark National Park
Synonyms

Usage Note

The full name 'Lake Clark National Park' is used in formal writing and on maps; in everyday speech park rangers and frequent visitors may shorten it to 'Clark' or 'Lake Clark'. Distinguish from sense 1, the surname of historical figures.

Common Mistakes

Lake Clark is on the east coast of the United States.
Lake Clark is in the U.S. state of Alaska.
the park is in southern Alaska, far from the Atlantic coast.

Word family

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the Clark family
  • Mr. Clark
  • Mrs. Clark

Phrases

  • Lewis and Clark
  • Lake Clark

Prepositions

  • of Clark
  • to Clark
  • about Clark

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The surname comes from Old English 'clerec', meaning a person who could read and write — usually a churchman or scribe in the Middle Ages. Because such people were among the few who kept written records, the name spread widely, and 'clerk' eventually became a common job title and 'Clark' a common family name.