hearthstone

C2 Topic:General Vocabulary

Also spelled hearth-stone and hearthstun

US /ˈhɑɹθˌstoʊn/ UK /ˈhɑːθˌstəʊn/ See IPA manual

Freq #188459

Meanings

1

noun
a flat stone forming part or all of a hearth

The kettle stood on the warm hearthstone beside the fire.
2

noun
the fireside or home, especially as a symbol of domestic life

After years abroad, he longed to return to his own hearthstone.
3

noun
a soft stone or prepared block formerly used for whitening steps and scouring floors

The maid rubbed the doorstep with hearthstone until the surface looked pale and clean.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a flat stone forming part... hearth slab

2 noun · the fireside or home,... fireside home

3 noun · a soft stone or prepared... scouring stone

Word family

Related forms hearth fireside fireplace

Etymology

A compound of hearth + stone. It first denotes the literal stone slab beside or beneath a domestic fire; by association the hearthstone came to represent the home itself. A separate historical use names a soft scouring material used on hearths, floors, and doorsteps.

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# hearthstone

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈhɑɹθˌstoʊn/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈhɑːθˌstəʊn/
**Frequency rank:** 188459

## Meanings
1. a flat stone forming part or all of a hearth
2. the fireside or home, especially as a symbol of domestic life
3. a soft stone or prepared block formerly used for whitening steps and scouring floors

## Examples
- The kettle stood on the warm hearthstone beside the fire.
- After years abroad, he longed to return to his own hearthstone.
- The maid rubbed the doorstep with hearthstone until the surface looked pale and clean.

## Synonyms
- hearth slab
- fireside
- home

## Related Forms
- hearth
- fireside
- fireplace

## Etymology
A compound of hearth + stone. It first denotes the literal stone slab beside or beneath a domestic fire; by association the hearthstone came to represent the home itself. A separate historical use names a soft scouring material used on hearths, floors, and doorsteps.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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