hearken

or hark·en

[hahr-kuh n]

verb (used without object)

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

verb (used with object)

Archaic. to listen to; hear.

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. 2018

Related Words for hearkened

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

Examples from the Web for hearkened

Historical Examples of hearkened

With my back to them and my ear to the door I hearkened outward.
The Cavalier
George Washington Cable
I have hearkened to your words, and marked well your counsels.
Fox's Book of Martyrs
John Foxe
Latisan, lingering on the porch, had hearkened and observed.
Joan of Arc of the North Woods
Holman Day
But he was not frightened, for he had not yet learned how to be; so he sat up and hearkened.
At the Back of the North Wind
George MacDonald
It was apparent that he had more to say; and all there hearkened to hear what it might be.
From Place to Place
Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for hearkened

hearken

sometimes US harken

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 hearkened

hearken

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.