hearken

== English == === Alternative forms === harken (US) === Etymology === From Middle English herkenen (“to listen (attentively); to pay attention, take heed”) [and other forms], from Old English hercnian, heorcnian, hyrcnian, from *heorcian (“to hark”) infixed with -n-, from Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną (“to hear”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti (“to be sharp-eared, hear well”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) + *h₂ṓws (“ear”) + *-yéti (denominative suffix), thus equivalent to hark +‎ -en. The spelling of the English word was probably influenced by hear; a similarly analogical pronunciation existed in Early Modern English. === Pronunciation === enPR: härkən (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈhɑːk(ə)n/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈhɑɹkən/ Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)kən (Early Modern) IPA(key): /ˈhærkən/, (uncommon) /ˈhɛːrkən/ Hyphenation: heark‧en === Verb === hearken (third-person singular simple present hearkens, present participle hearkening, simple past and past participle hearkened) (transitive, archaic except poetic) To hear (something) with attention; to have regard to (something). (intransitive) To listen; to attend or give heed to what is uttered; to hear with attention, compliance, or obedience. (intransitive, obsolete) To enquire; to seek information. ==== Usage notes ==== The form hearken is much more common in Britain, while harken (which is older and thought by some to be more regularly formed from hark) is more common in the United States. ==== Conjugation ==== ==== Derived terms ==== behearken hearken back hearkener ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “hearken”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. === Anagrams === kenareh