hark
/hɑː(ɹ)k/ verb, noun
Forms harks harking harked heark
- verb (archaic, often imperative) To listen attentively.
- noun (Scots) A whisper
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English herken, herkien, from Old English *hercian, *heorcian, *hiercian, from Proto-West Germanic *hauʀikōn, *hauʀukōn, derived 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”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To listen; to hearken. [Now rare, except in the imperative form used as an interjection, Hark! listen.] Hudibras. Hark away! Hark back! Hark forward! (Sporting), cries used to incite and guide hounds in hunting.
Etymology [OE. herken. See Hearken.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hark”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details