hearth
Americannoun
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the floor of a fireplace, usually of stone, brick, etc., often extending a short distance into a room.
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home; fireside.
the joys of family and hearth.
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Metallurgy.
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the lower part of a blast furnace, cupola, etc., in which the molten metal collects and from which it is tapped out.
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the part of an open hearth, reverberatory furnace, etc., upon which the charge is placed and melted down or refined.
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a brazier or chafing dish for burning charcoal.
noun
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the floor of a fireplace, esp one that extends outwards into the room
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( as modifier )
hearth rug
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this part of a fireplace as a symbol of the home, etc
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the bottom part of a metallurgical furnace in which the molten metal is produced or contained
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hearth
First recorded before 900; Middle English herth(e), Old English he(o)rth; cognate with German Herd, Dutch haard
Explanation
If you are warming yourself by the fireplace, you are sitting by the hearth. The noun hearth refers to a fireplace and the area around it. Hearth refers specifically to the paved floor of a fireplace, which may extend out into a room. Hearths are associated with home and family because the hearth was historically the main source of heat in the home, as well as where the cooking was done. As a result, family members often gathered together around the hearth. The importance of the hearth has made it symbolic of the home, as in the phrase "hearth and home."
Vocabulary lists containing hearth
Joy To The Word: Christmas Terms
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"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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Learning Down The House: Parts of Your Home
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pro tip: The walkable neighborhood is close to Black Duck Spirits & Hearth and local shops like I Like You and A Bag Lady.
From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026
Back downstairs at The Hearth, a lunch-and-learn workshop is taking place.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2024
Hake’s store, Hearth & Sage General Store in Crestline, remains closed, and she doesn’t expect to reopen it with the roads still difficult to pass and most parking lots full of excess snow from plowing.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2023
The hotter a fire burns, the cleaner it is, said John Crouch, the director of public affairs at the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, an industry group.
From Washington Post • Dec. 23, 2022
About two hundred years ago in the Hearth of Shath in the Pering Storm-border there were two brothers who vowed kemmering to each other.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
