hearth meaning and definition

HEARTH noun

Definition of hearth (noun)

1. an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
   • "the fireplace was so large you could walk inside it"; "he laid a fire in the hearth and lit it"; "the hearth was black with the charcoal of many fires"
   • synonyms: fireplace, open fireplace
2. home symbolized as a part of the fireplace
   • "driven from hearth and home"; "fighting in defense of their firesides"
   • synonyms: fireside
3. an area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room)
   • "they sat on the hearth and warmed themselves before the fire"
   • synonyms: fireside