hearken

Or hark·en

[hahr-kuhn]

verb (used without object)

1. Literary.,  to give heed or attention to what is said; listen.

verb (used with object)

1. Archaic.,  to listen to; hear.

hearken

/ ˈhɑːkən /

verb

1. archaic,  to listen to (something)

Other Word Forms

• hearkener noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hearken¹

1150–1200; Middle English hercnen, Old English he ( o ) rcnian, suffixed form of assumed *heorcian; hark, -en ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of hearken¹

Old English heorcnian; see _hark

Example Sentences

A line of dialogue hearkens back to the beginning in a way that might be thought of as closure, as a circle closes without going anywhere, and yet things are not the same.

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And it’s on Max, but it sort of hearkens back to, like, the old-school broadcast kind of drama.

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The title may hearken back to decades long gone, but there’s something contemporary about “Mid-Century Modern.”

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Carney revealed it on Friday during his first speech as prime minister when he hearkened back - with a shiny polish - to the origins of this former colony.

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For Jane Williams, executive director of the nonprofit California Communities Against Toxics, the copious amounts of ash and rubble hearken back to the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

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