hark
- to listen attentively; hearken.
- Archaic. to listen to; hear.
- a hunter's shout to hounds, as to encourage them in following the scent.
- hark back,
- (of hounds) to return along the course in order to regain a lost scent.
- to return to a previous subject or point; revert: He kept harking back to his early days in vaudeville.
Origin of hark
Synonyms for hark
Related Words for harking
listenExamples from the Web for harking
Historical Examples of harking
Or—harking back to her original theory—that he was an emissary from Scotland Yard?
The Black BagLouis Joseph Vance
There has never been any attempt at harking back to earlier periods.
VeniceDorothy Menpes
This, for Plotinos, was harking back to Numenius's evil world-soul, fr.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 4Plotinos (Plotinus)
She could only do so, however, by harking back—as if it had been a fascination.
The Golden BowlHenry James
Why do you keep on harking back to the subject when I have spoken so plainly?
FanW.H. Hudson (AKA Henry Harford)
hark
- (intr; usually imperative) to listen; pay attention
Word Origin for hark
Word Origin and History for harking
hark
late 12c., from Old English *heorcian, perhaps an intensive form from base of hieran (see hear). Cf. talk/tale. Cognate with Old Frisian harkia "listen," Middle Dutch horken, Old High German horechon, German horchen. To hark back (1829) originally referred to hounds returning along a track when the scent has been lost, till they find it again. Related: Harked; harking.