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 hīeran, whence English hear). Equivalent to hear +‎ -k. 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^(key): /hɑː(ɹ)k/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(r)k

Verb

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

1. (archaic, often imperative) To listen attentively.
   • c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene i], page 182:

     But harke, I heare the footing of a man.

   • 1739, Charles Wesley; George Whitefield, “Hymn for Christmas-Day”, in Hymns and Sacred Poems:

     Hark! the herald angels sing / Glory to the new born King

   • 1856, Herman Melville, The Lightning Rod Man:

     "Hark! The thunder becomes less muttering. It is nearing us, and nearing the earth, too. Hark! One crammed crash! All the vibrations made one by nearness. Another flash. Hold."

   • 1906, O. Henry, “Between Rounds”, in The Four Million:

     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 (lyrics and music), “A Christmas Carol”:

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

Derived terms

• ark at ee (dialectal)
• hark back

Related terms

• harken/hearken
• hear

Translations

to listen attentively

• Bulgarian: слушам (bg) (slušam)
• Dutch: aanhoren (nl), luisteren (nl)
• Finnish: kuunnella tarkkaavaisesti, kuunnella tarkasti; kuule (used as interjection)
• Norwegian: lyda

• Old English: hwæt (ang)
• Russian: слу́шать (ru) (slúšatʹ), внима́ть (ru) (vnimátʹ)
• Swedish: lyssna noggrant

Noun

hark (plural harks)

1. (Scots) A whisper

---

Albanian

Etymology

Borrowed through Vulgar Latin from Latin arcus.

Noun

hark m

1. bow
2. arch

---

Basque

Pronunciation

• (Southern) IPA^(key): /ark/
• (Northern) IPA^(key): /hark/

Determiner

hark

1. ergative singular of hura

Pronoun

hark

1. ergative singular of hura

---

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑrk

• audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

hark m (plural harken, diminutive harkje n)

1. rake (garden tool)

Derived terms

• harken

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

hark

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

---

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /har̥k/
• Rhymes: -ar̥k

Noun

hark n (genitive singular harks, no plural)

1. noise, tumult, commotion, din

Declension

declension of hark

n-s	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	hark	harkið
accusative	hark	harkið
dative	harki	harkinu
genitive	harks	harksins

Synonyms

• (noise, commotion): hávaði, háreysti, skark, skarkali

---

Westrobothnian

Etymology

From Old Norse harka, harðka (“strength of body and mind”), from harðr (“hard”) ( > Westrobothnian hahl) + -ka.

Noun

hark f (definite harka)

1. excellence

   hä var harka dell kar

   that's an excellent man

Alternative forms

• halk

Related terms

• harkøt
• hörk