From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhearthhearth /hɑːθ $ hɑːrθ/ noun [countable] 1 DHHthe area of floor around a fireplace in a house2 → hearth and home
Examples from the Corpus
hearth• Then they all gathered before a small fire on the kitchen hearth.• She sat down in a chair by the hearth.• She was as tall as Nigel, and now folded herself gracefully into a low chair by the hearth.• There was a fire in the hearth and sandwiches on the sideboard.• To be a Vestal Virgin meant both to be a guardian of the hearth and to be absolutely pure.Origin hearth Old English heorth 