hearth

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The floor of a fireplace, or the stone area in front of it.

   Grammar: Counted noun; often used with 'on' or 'by': by the hearth.

   Patterns

   • on the hearth
   • by the hearth

   The cat curled up on the warm hearth.

   Ashes were swept from the hearth each morning.

   A pair of boots dried by the hearth.

2. 2nounsingularliteraryfigurative

   The home seen as the center of family comfort and warmth.

   Grammar: Often 'hearth and home'.

   Patterns

   • hearth and home

   He longed for the hearth of his childhood.

   They left hearth and home to start a new life.

   The kitchen was the hearth of the family.

3. 3nouncountabletechnical

   The lowest part of a furnace, where metal is heated or collects.

   Grammar: Technical sense in metalworking.

   Patterns

   • the hearth of a furnace

   The molten metal collected in the hearth.

   An open hearth furnace was used to make steel.

   The smith heated the iron on the hearth.

Word forms

Common combinations

hearth and home

He missed his hearth and home.

by the hearth

We sat by the hearth and read.

warm hearth

A warm hearth welcomed us.

stone hearth

The cabin had a stone hearth.

gather around the hearth

Families gathered around the hearth in winter.

Synonyms and how they differ

fireplace

Fireplace is the whole structure for a fire, whereas hearth is the floor or area at its base.

fireside

Fireside is the area near a fire and has a cozy feel.

home

Home is the general idea of where you live, while hearth carries a poetic image of warmth.

inglenook

An inglenook is a recess beside a large fireplace, narrower than hearth.

Word family

hearthstone noun

the stone slab forming a hearth

hearthside noun

the area next to a hearth

hearth rug noun

a rug in front of the fireplace

Commonly confused: hearth or heart?

Practice

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