hark

English

Alternative forms

• heark (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English herken, herkien, from Old English *hercian, *heorcian, *hiercian, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną (“to hear”) + formative/intensive -k (see also the related hȳran, whence English hear). Cognate with Scots herk (“to hark”), North Frisian harke (“to hark”), West Frisian harkje (“to listen”), obsolete Dutch horken (“to hark, listen to”), Middle Low German horken (“to hark”), German horchen (“to hark, harken to”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: härk, IPA: /hɑː(ɹ)k/, X-SAMPA: /hA:(r)k/

  Rhymes: -ɑː(r)k

Verb

hark (third-person singular simple present harks, present participle harking, simple past and past participle harked)

1. To listen attentively; often used in the imperative.
   • 1739, “Hymn for Christmas-Day”, Hymns and Sacred Poems, Charles Wesley and George Whitefield:

     Hark! the herald angels sing

     “Glory to the new born King,

   • 1906: O. Henry, The Four Million [1]

     Loud voices and a renewed uproar were raised in front of the boarding-house..."'Tis Missis Murphy's voice," said Mrs. McCaskey, harking.

   • 1959: Tom Lehrer, A Christmas Carol

     "Hark! The Herald Tribune sings, / Advertising wondrous things!"

Translations

To listen attentively

• Finnish: kuunnella tarkkaavaisesti
• Old English: hwæt (ang)

• Swedish: Lyssna noggrant

Derived terms

• hark back

Related terms

• harken/hearken
• hear

---

Albanian

Etymology

From Latin arcus.

Noun

hark m

1. bow
2. arch

---

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑrk

• audio

  (file)

Noun

hark m (plural harken, diminutive harkje)

1. rake (garden tool)

Derived terms

• harken

Verb

hark

1. first-person singular present indicative of harken
2. imperative of harken