hearken, harken, v.
(ˈhɑːk(ə)n)
Forms: 1 hercnian, heorcnian, 2–3 hercnen, (Orm. herrcnenn), 3 hærcnien, 3–4 heorknien, herknen, herkin, 3–6 herken, 4 herkon, 4–5 herkyn, 5 harkyn, 6 harcken; 4– harken, 6– hearken.
[OE. hercnian, heorcnian, hyrcnian, formed with suffix -n- from *heorci-an, the OE. type of hark v.
The spelling harken, which agrees with that of hark, and is at once more regular and of earlier standing, is the accepted one in modern American Dictionaries, and is preferred by some good English writers; but in current English use it is much less frequent than hearken. The preference for the latter spelling is probably due to association with hear, supported by the analogy of heart and hearth.]
1. intr. To apply the ears to hear; to listen, give ear. Const. to († of), in OE. and ME. with dative.
| a 1000 Life St. Guthlac (1848) 42 Guðlac..eode þa sona ut and hawode and hercnode. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 422 Ypolitus..heora wordum heorcnode. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 59 Hercnið alle to þis writ. c 1205 Lay. 19668 Heo..hærcneden ȝeorne of þas kinges hærme. a 1300 Cursor M. 966 He said, ‘adam, now wel sais þou I sal þe tell, and herken [Gött. harkin] now’. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1708 Þe fox..Hauilounez, & herkenez, bi heggez ful ofte. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 668 His felawe That was so neih to herken of his sawe. 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. ii. xxxvii. 155 They ought often to herken yf they can here eny noyse or smytynge of hamers. 1530 Palsgr. 579/1 Harken here at this hole. 1550 Crowley Inform. & Petit. 255 Herken you possessioners. 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 868 She hearkens for his hounds and for his horn. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 564 But aged Nereus harkens to his Lore. 1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to Lady Rich 10 Oct., It is full employment enough to hearken, whether one answers or not. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) IV. 50 Whenever it is whistled to, it stops to hearken. 1832 Tennyson Œnone 23 Dear mother Ida, harken ere I die. |
† 2. intr. To listen privily; to play the eavesdropper; to eavesdrop. Obs.
| 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xxi. 27 [24] The folie of a man to herknen thurȝ the dores. 1535 Coverdale ibid., A foolish man standeth herkenynge at the dore. 1588 Nottingham Rec. IV. 219 By harckeninge of our howses with drawen weapens. |
3. intr. To apply the mind to what is said; to attend, have regard; to listen with sympathy or docility. Const. to.
| c 1230 Hali Meid. 39 Hercne his read. 1535 Coverdale Exod. vi. 9 But they herkened not vnto him, for very anguysh of sprete, and for sore laboure. 1549 Latimer Ploughers (Arb.) 25 No man wyll herken to it. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xxxvi. 224 Josiah not hearkning to them, was slain. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 1134 Would thou hadst heark'nd to my words, and stai'd. 1777 Robertson Hist. Amer. (1778) II. vi. 205 Instead of hearkening to some of his officers. 1870 Bryant Iliad I. i. 12 To him Who hearkens to the gods, the gods give ear. 1896 A. Austin Eng. Darl. ii. iv, They would not harken. |
† b. with on. Obs.
| 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cclxxiii. 414 The people..had great desyre to harken on the promysses that the duke of Amiens made vnto them. 1580 Sidney Arcadia (1627) 434 Harkening on euery rumour. |
4. trans. To hear with attention, give ear to (a thing); to listen to; to have regard to, heed; to understand, learn by hearing; to hear, perceive by the ear. Now only poet.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 440 Heo ᵹesæt æt Godes fotum, his word heorcniende. c 1200 Ormin 11723 Forr ȝuw birrþ herrcnenn Godess word. a 1225 Ancr. R. 82 Nout one þeo þet hit spekeð, auh þeo þet hit hercneð. c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iii. pr. i. 50 (Camb. MS.) For thow seyst þat thow art so desirous to herkne hem. a 1400–50 Alexander 2304 In-to þe temple he turned tythandis to herken. 1529 More Comf. agst. Trib. iii. Wks. 1232/2 When they heare it, harken it but as they woulde an idle tale. 1610 Shakes. Temp. i. ii. 122 This King of Naples being an Enemy To me inueterate, hearkens my Brothers suit. 1832 Tennyson New-Year's Eve 39 Tho' I cannot speak a word, I shall harken what you say. |
b. With personal obj. (orig. dative as in 1; but this afterwards levelled with the accusative or objective). Obs. exc. dial.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 308 Kyng Edmond..lende vp hys sseld, & herkned hym ynou. c 1400 Destr. Troy 9238 Sho herknet hym full hyndly. Ibid. 9264 Long he stode..Doun hengond his hed, herkonyng the qwene. c 1500 Melusine lvi. 334 Raymondyn herkned hym gladly. 1583 Stanyhurst æneis iii. (Arb.) 76 Who would Cassandra then harcken? 1890 Mod., Yorksh. Clergyman. What do you come to church for? Boy. To harken yo. |
† 5. intr. hearken to: Listen, give ear. [As if from a compound vb. to-hearken; cf. Ger. zuhorchen, imper. horch zu! Cf. go to, from vb. to-go.] Obs.
| 1526 Tindale Mark iv. 3 He..sayde vnto them in his doctrine: Herken to. Beholde, The sower went forth to sowe. ― Acts vii. 2 Brethren, and fathers, harken to. 1535 Coverdale 2 Chron. xviii. 27 Herken to, all ye people. |
† 6. intr. To seek to hear tidings; to make inquiries, to inquire after, ask for. Obs.
| 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccciii. 450 There abode styll the Englysshmen to harken after other newes. 1575 Laneham Let. (1871) 36 A this day allso waz thear such earnest tallk and appointment of remoouing, that I gaue ouer my noting, and harkened after my hors. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado v. i. 216 Clau. Harken after their offence my Lord. Prince. Officers, what offence haue these men done? a 1670 Hacket Abp. Williams i. (1692) 19, I hearkened no more after it: for I reckon'd it was done. 1783 Johnson Let. to Miss S.A. Thrale 18 Nov., I hearken every day after a letter from her. 1830 De Quincey Bentley Wks. VII. 41 To abstain from hearkening after libels upon himself. |
† 7. intr. To lie in wait; to wait. Obs.
| [Cf. 1523 in 6.] 1580 R. Hitchcock Politic Plat in Arb. Garner II. 159 People who daily do harken when the world should amend with them. 1584 Stafford in Motley Netherl. (1868) I. iii. 70 The king hearkeneth to see the end, and then to believe as he seeth cause. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. i. ii. 260 The yongest daughter whom you hearken for, Her father keepes from all accesse of sutors. 1633 T. Stafford Pac. Hib. i. xv. (1810) 167 Whether it were..the hearkening after a Ship, to arrive in those parts..that occasioned his delatory excuses. |
† 8. trans. To get to hear of; to search out or find by inquiry. Obs.
| 1590 Sir T. Cockaine Hunting B iij, Your Hounds..harken them foorth of such a kinde as bee durable. 1606 Wily Beguiled in Hazl. Dodsley IX. 226 If I can hearken out some wealthy marriage for her. 1607 Dekker Knt.'s Conjur. (1842) 57 It is some ease to Syr Timothy..to harken out the worst that others haue endured. 1609 B. Jonson Sil. Wom. i. ii, He has imploied a fellow..to harken him out a dumbe woman. 1637 R. Humfrey tr. St. Ambrose i. 118 Hunting and hearkening out places of mart where hee may best vent them. |
† 9. intr. To have regard or relation. Obs. rare.
| 1734 Pope Ess. Man iv. 40 There's not a blessing Individuals find, But some way leans and hearkens to the kind. |
10. To talk in one's ear, to whisper. Obs. exc. Sc.
| 1612 Drayton Poly-olb. xii. 200 This harkneth with his friend, as though with him to breake Of some intended act. Mod. Sc. What are ye herk'ning thegither aboot? He herk'nt to me to gang and fetch them. |