ˈhärth, ˈhȧth sometimes ˈharth, ˈhə̄th noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English herth, from Old English heorth; akin to Old High German herd hearth, Old Norse hyrr fire, Gothic hauri coal, Sanskrit kūḍayāti he singes, and perhaps to Latin carbo ember, charcoal, cremare to burn up
1.
a. : a brick, stone, or cement area of floor in front of a fireplace ; also : a corresponding projection resembling a shell on a stove
b. : the floor of a fireplace or of a brick oven on which a fire may be built
c.
(1) : the lowest section of a blast furnace at and below the tuyeres where the molten metal and slag are collected
(2) : the bottom of a refinery, reverberatory, or open-hearth furnace on which the ore or metal is exposed to the flame
(3) : bloomery
(4) : the inside bottom of a cupola
(5) : the fuel floor of a smith's forge
(6) : the bottom of a heat-treating furnace that usually supports the work
d. : the bed of a furnace on which pots rest in glass manufacturing
e. : a fire-hardened earth floor upon which primitive man built fires (as in an ancient rock shelter or campsite)
f. : a piece of wood against which a hardwood stick is rubbed or into which it is twirled to make fire by friction — compare fire drill
2. : house , home , fireside
not rest … until every family has a hearth of its own — James Griffiths
3. : a nuclear area (as of high culture) : a vital or creative center : ecumene
the small group of … nations that constitute the central hearth of occidental civilization — A.L.Kroeber
the south and southwest of Mexico constitute one of the great culture hearths of the world — C.O.Sauer