Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Hearken

Hearken (hark"'n) , intransitive verb

[Old English hercnen, hercnien, Anglo-Saxon hercnian, heorcnian, from hiéran, hȳran, to hear; akin to OD. harcken, horcken, LG. harken, horken, German horchen. See Hear, and compare Hark.]

1.
To listen; to lend the ear; to attend to what is uttered; to give heed; to hear, in order to obey or comply.
The Furies hearken, and their snakes uncurl. — Dryden
Hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you. — Deut. iv. 1
2.
To inquire; to seek information. [Obsolete]
Hearken after their offense. — Shakespeare

Hearken , transitive verb

1.
To hear by listening. [Archaic]
[She] hearkened now and then Some little whispering and soft groaning sound. — Spenser
2.
To give heed to; to hear attentively. [Archaic]
The King of Naples... hearkens my brother's suit. — Shakespeare
If you find none, you must hearken out a vein and buy. — B. Johnson
Collocations (1)
To hearken out , to search out. [Obsolete]