noun
hearth
HAHRTH/hɑːrθ/
The fireplace base around which a household's fire is kept.
A small fire crackles on the stone hearth each evening.
Etymology
Old English heorð named the part of the floor where a fire was made. The modern fireplace sense preserves that concrete meaning, while the older word could also stand for the home.
In context
A fire burns quietly inside the hearth.
More examples
- She sweeps the cold ashes off the hearth.
- We replace a cracked brick in the hearth.
- The old house has wide hearths in both fireplaces.
Forms
hearth · hearths
Similar words
- fireplace
- Names the whole structure, not just its fireproof base.