hearth

[ hahrth ]
See synonyms for hearth on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the floor of a fireplace, usually of stone, brick, etc., often extending a short distance into a room.

  2. home; fireside: the joys of family and hearth.

  1. Metallurgy.

    • the lower part of a blast furnace, cupola, etc., in which the molten metal collects and from which it is tapped out.

    • the part of an open hearth, reverberatory furnace, etc., upon which the charge is placed and melted down or refined.

  2. a brazier or chafing dish for burning charcoal.

Origin of hearth

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English herth(e), Old English he(o)rth; cognate with German Herd, Dutch haard

Other words for hearth

Other words from hearth

  • hearthless, adjective
  • mul·ti·hearth, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hearth in a sentence

  • Hestia (Roman Vesta) presided over the private hearths and homesteads of the Greeks, and imparted to them a sacred character.

  • The last of the logs were glowing red on the hearths, and the air was hot and heavy after the fresh outdoors.

    The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton
  • Puckered with chills and goose-flesh, the fireside people huddled and sneezed around their respective hearths.

    Molly Make-Believe | Eleanor Hallowell Abbott
  • The fugitives had sufficient inducements to return to their hearths, without the fear of sequestration.

  • "They may knock 'em off the axles an' make hearths for their fireplaces, and use the axles for posts," suggested Si.

British Dictionary definitions for hearth

hearth

/ (hɑːθ) /


noun
    • the floor of a fireplace, esp one that extends outwards into the room

    • (as modifier): hearth rug

  1. this part of a fireplace as a symbol of the home, etc

  1. the bottom part of a metallurgical furnace in which the molten metal is produced or contained

Origin of hearth

1
Old English heorth; related to Old High German herd hearth, Latin carbō charcoal

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