Toward the hearth or fireplace; in the direction of home and warmth.
Compound of 'hearth' (Old English 'hearþ') + '-ward' (Old English 'weard' meaning toward or direction). The archaic directional suffix expresses movement toward a destination.
Old nautical and travel narratives frequently use 'hearthward' to describe journeys home—it's a word that emotionally captures homesickness, suggesting that 'toward the hearth' and 'toward peace' were once understood as the same direction.
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