hearken

American  

[hahr-kuhn] / ˈhɑr kən /

Or harken

verb (used without object)

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

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verb (used with object)

1. Archaic. to listen to; hear.

hearken British  

/ ˈhɑːkən /

verb

1. archaic to listen to (something)

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Other Word Forms

• hearkener noun

Etymology

Origin of hearken

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

Explanation

Hearken is an old fashioned form of the word hark, meaning "to listen" (see hark). In the Bible, prophets and saints are always telling people to hearken to their words. While hark is still used today, hearken is pretty much obsolete — unless perhaps you happen to be an old school preacher. Hearken, like hark, can also mean to look back to something in the past, though there is often a critical sense to the word. To hearken back to an old memory or event is usually to do it in a way that may be annoying to other people or perhaps even damaging or self-defeating to the one doing the hearkening. Frequently spelled harken in the US.

Example Sentences

It sounded strange, like a song out of time — Melanie said she intended it to hearken to the 1930s — sung with what could now be called a warbling “indie girl voice.”

From New York Times • Jan. 24, 2024

It's also got ground pork, shrimp, lemongrass, and lots of bright herbs, and is served with a fish sauce dipping sauce — flavors that skew Vietnamese, but also hearken back to Cantonese traditions.

From Salon • Dec. 31, 2021

If approved, the proposal could usher in a wave of water regulations that hearken back to previous droughts while underscoring the seriousness of the current one.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2021

Elsewhere, the more melancholic numbers hearken back to rainy-day power pop of the ’90s, occasionally erupting in star-reaching guitar leads that would make My Morning Jacket jealous.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 6, 2021

“Octavian,” said he, “have any voices presented themselves to you — speaking in remote quarters — which you might not, in other seasons, hearken to?”

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson