hark

CEFRC2

/hɑː(ɹ)k/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To listen carefully; an old-fashioned command.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    A whisper

Examples

  • Hark! midnight from the church tower vibrates through the frosty air.

  • "What the hell?! Hark, what have you done?" "Nothing yet. ...No, I have."

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To listen attentively.

More examples

In context

  • But harke, I heare the footing of a man.

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

  • Loud voices and a renewed uproar were raised in front of the boarding-house[…] "'Tis Missis Murphy's voice," said Mrs. McCaskey, harking.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The old man said, blank, my children, and listen to my warning!'

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

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”).