Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Woodlark

Woodlark

9.5
An island in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea also called Muyua
  • proper noun
: isla Woodlark
  • After landing on Woodlark, we explored the island's lush landscapes and vibrant wildlife.

Examples

  • Traveling to Woodlark allows visitors to experience the unique culture of Papua New Guinea.

  • The axeblades were quarried and polished prior to 1870 on distant islands such as Woodlark and at Suau on the New Guinea mainland, and have circulated in inter-island exchange ever since.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The beautiful beaches on Woodlark attract many tourists each year.

Surface Forms

Woodlark main

Morphology

Woodlark = wood + lark (opaque) = wood + lark

As a place name, 'Woodlark' does not yield the sense 'island' from 'wood' + 'lark'; the components may indicate a bird or other origin but do not transparently indicate the island meaning.

Etymology

The word Woodlark probably comes from the English parts wood ('forest') and lark ('songbird'), so it brings to mind a bird of the woods and explains why early visitors might have named the island after a local bird. The island is also known as Muyua in the local language, which shows the name connects both to the natural life there and to the people who live on the island.