hark

• heark (obsolete)

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 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”).

• enPR: härk, IPA^(key): /hɑː(ɹ)k/

• Audio (UK)

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• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)k

hark (third-person singular simple present harks, present participle harking, simple past and past participle harked)

1. (archaic, often imperative) To listen attentively.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene i], page 182:

     But harke, I heare the footing of a man.

   • 1739, Charles Wesley; George Whitefield, “Hymn for Christmas-Day”, in Hymns and Sacred Poems:

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

   • 1856, Herman Melville, The Lightning Rod Man:

     "Hark! The thunder becomes less muttering. It is nearing us, and nearing the earth, too. Hark! One crammed crash! All the vibrations made one by nearness. Another flash. Hold."

   • 1906, O. Henry, “Between Rounds”, in The Four Million:

     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 (lyrics and music), “A Christmas Carol”:

     Hark! The Herald Tribune sings, / Advertising wondrous things!

• ark at ee (dialectal)
• hark back

• harken/hearken
• hear

hark (plural harks)

1. (Scots) A whisper

Borrowed through Vulgar Latin from Latin arcus.

hark m

1. bow
2. arch

• ber
• lëmajë (dialectal, Pukë)

• IPA^(key): (Southern) /ark/, [ark]
• IPA^(key): (Northern) /hark/, [ɦark]

hark

1. ergative singular of hura

hark

1. ergative singular of hura

• Rhymes: -ɑrk

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

hark m (plural harken, diminutive harkje n)

1. rake (garden tool)

• harken

• → Caribbean Javanese: hareg
• → Papiamentu: harka, hark
• → Saramaccan: hálíki
• → Sranan Tongo: ar'ari, har'hari
  • → Caribbean Hindustani: harhári
  • → Caribbean Javanese: ari-ari

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

hark

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

• IPA^(key): /har̥k/
• Rhymes: -ar̥k

hark n (genitive singular harks, no plural)

1. noise, tumult, commotion, din

• (noise, commotion): hávaði, háreysti, skark, skarkali

From Old Norse harka, harðka (“strength of body and mind”), from harðr (“hard”) ( > Westrobothnian hahl) + -ka.

hark f (definite harka)

1. excellence

   hä var harka dell kar

   that's an excellent man

• halk

• harkøt
• hörk

From Middle English herken, from Old English *hercian.

hark

1. to hark
   • 1867, “CASTEALE CUDDE'S LAMENTATION”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 1:

     Ye nyporès aul, come hark to mee,

     Ye neighbours all, come hark to me,

• Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 102