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hearken

or hark·en

[ hahr-kuh n ]

/ ˈhɑr kən /

SEE 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.

Origin of hearken

1150–1200; Middle English hercnen, Old English he(o)rcnian, suffixed form of assumed *heorcian; see hark, -en¹

OTHER WORDS FROM hearken

heark·en·er, noun

Words nearby hearken

hearing dog, hearing impairment, hearing loss, hearing-ear dog, hearing-impaired, hearken, hearn, hearsay, hearsay evidence, hearsay rule, hearse

Example sentences from the Web for hearkening

In the poor tenement the peddler lay awake till far into the night, hearkening to the noises of the street.

Neighbors |Jacob A. Riis
But now I think I see you listening and hearkening that I should name him.

Sermons on the Card and Other Discourses |Hugh Latimer
Hushed and fearful they waited behind the arras at the door, hearkening to the boy how he wept and cursed and rent his garments.

Long Will |Florence Converse
Rebuke backbiters, and encourage them not by hearkening to their tales.

A Christian Directory (Part 4 of 4) |Richard Baxter

She was not hearkening to the talk of Uncle Zachie: she was thinking her own thoughts.

In the Roar of the Sea |Sabine Baring-Gould

British Dictionary definitions for hearkening

hearken

sometimes US harken

/ (ˈhɑːkən) /

verb

archaic to listen to (something)

Derived forms of hearken

hearkener, noun

Word Origin for hearken

Old English heorcnian; see hark