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definitions

hearken

or hark·en

[ hahr-kuh n ]
/ ˈhɑr kən /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hearken ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

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

verb (used with object)

Archaic. to listen to; hear.

RELATED WORDS

hark, attend, eavesdrop, get, read, give, strain, apprehend, devour, take, descry, catch, heed, listen, overhear, auscultate

Nearby words

  1. hearing dog,
  2. hearing impairment,
  3. hearing loss,
  4. hearing-ear dog,
  5. hearing-impaired,
  6. hearkening,
  7. hearn,
  8. hearn, lafcadio,
  9. hearsay,
  10. hearsay evidence

Origin of hearken

1150–1200; Middle English hercnen, Old English he(o)rcnian, suffixed form of assumed *heorcian; see hark, -en1
Related formsheark·en·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hearken

British Dictionary definitions for hearken

hearken

sometimes US harken

/ (ˈhɑːkən) /

verb

archaic to listen to (something)
Derived Formshearkener, noun

Word Origin for hearken

Old English heorcnian; see hark
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
Word Origin and History for hearken

hearken

v.

Old English heorcnian, a suffixed form of *heorcian, root of hark; from Proto-Germanic *hausjan (see hear). Harken is the usual spelling in U.S. and probably is better justified by etymology; hearken likely is from influence of hear.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper