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 -> horen”), Middle Low German horken ‎(“to hark”), German horchen ‎(“to hark, harken to”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: härk, IPA^(key): /hɑː(ɹ)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

• Dutch: aanhoren (nl), luisteren (nl)
• Finnish: kuunnella tarkkaavaisesti
• Old English: hwæt

• Russian: слу́шать (ru) ‎(slúšatʹ), внима́ть (ru) ‎(vnimátʹ)
• Swedish: Lyssna noggrant

Derived terms

• hark back

Related terms

• harken/hearken
• hear

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Albanian

Etymology

From Latin arcus.

Noun

hark m

1. bow
2. arch

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑrk

• audio

  (file)

Noun

hark m ‎(plural harken, diminutive harkje n)

1. rake (garden tool)

Derived terms

• harken

Verb

hark

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