Home › Glossary › Letter H

Hearthstone

Household Objects
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A stone forming part of a fireplace hearth. It symbolizes home, permanence, kinship, and the center of domestic life.

Detailed Definition
A hearthstone is the large stone set at the base or edge of a fireplace, worn by heat, ash, and the feet of those gathered nearby. In poetry, it often stands for the rootedness of home and the continuity of family memory. A cracked or cold hearthstone can imply abandonment, poverty, or a broken household, while a warm one suggests shelter and shared food. Its solid material contrasts effectively with smoke, flame, and the changing lives that pass before it.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The children warmed their hands on the hearthstone” makes the home’s center concrete; A hearthstone can symbolize permanence in “Even after the house fell, the hearthstone remained”; “Ash whitened the hearthstone by morning” records the trace of a fire and the passing night; In a migration poem, carrying a hearthstone in memory can represent longing for home and family roots
Additional Notes
The hearthstone is a durable emblem of home and belonging; its stone permanence can contrast with a family’s changing life.
Also Known As
Fireside Stone Fireplace Slab Domestic Hearth
Skip to main content