hearth

Etymology

From Middle English herth, herthe, from Old English heorþ, from Proto-West Germanic *herþ, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kerh₃- (“heat; fire”). Cognate with West Frisian hurd, Dutch haard, German Herd, Swedish härd.

noun

1. The place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos, fireplace, oven, smoke hood, or chimney.
2. A hearthstone, either as standalone or as the floor of an enclosed fireplace or oven.
   cooking on an open hearth
3. A fireplace: an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire may be built.
4. The lowest part of a metallurgical furnace.
5. A brazier, chafing dish, or firebox.
6. (figurative) Home or family life.
7. (Germanic paganism) A household or group in some forms of the modern pagan faith Heathenry.
   Asatru is practised all over Northern Europe and also in North America. Like Druidry, it is organized into bodies with sub-groups, the hearths. 1996, Vivianne Crowley, Thorsons principles of paganism, page 50
   Smaller localized groups known as 'hearths' meet regularly, and are comparable, in size and function, with a Wiccan 'Coven' or Druidic 'Grove'. 8 December 2003, Robert J. Wallis, Shamans/neo-Shamans: Ecstasy, Alternative Archaeologies, and Contemporary Pagans, page 102
   Neopagan groups take many forms, from Wiccan covens to Druid groves, from Heathen hearths to magical lodges[…] 1 March 2004, Peter Clarke, editor, Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements, Routledge, page 768