noun
Common
hart
haht
Hart (noun) means an adult male deer, especially a mature male red deer. Example: “Hikers spotted a hart standing on the misty hillside at dawn.”
noun
1
An adult male deer, especially a mature male red deer.
"Hikers spotted a hart standing on the misty hillside at dawn."
"In the legend, a white hart led the travellers out of the woods."
"A hart with an impressive set of antlers crossed the clearing."
How to use hart
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn old-fashioned word for a male deer, mostly seen in heraldry, literature, and place names today.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "heart" (the organ) — they're unrelated words that just sound identical.
Easily confused with
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like hart.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- harts
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Hikers spotted a _____ standing on the misty hillside at dawn.
Etymology
From Old English heorot, "stag," related to a much older Indo-European word for "horn" — the same root that gives us the English word "horn."
Related words
Rhymes for hart
See all rhymes for hart →Frequently asked questions
What does “hart” mean?
The word “hart” means an adult male deer, especially a mature male red deer. In plain terms, an old-fashioned word for a male deer, mostly seen in heraldry, literature, and place names today.
How do you pronounce “hart”?
“Hart” is pronounced haht (/hɑɹt/ in IPA).
How do you use “hart” in a sentence?
Here is “hart” used in a sentence: “A hart with an impressive set of antlers crossed the clearing.”
What part of speech is “hart”?
“Hart” is a noun.
Where does the word “hart” come from?
The word “hart” comes from Old English. From Old English heorot, "stag," related to a much older Indo-European word for "horn" — the same root that gives us the English word "horn.".
Is “hart” a common word?
“Hart” is a fairly common word in modern English.
What is the difference between a hart and a stag?
Both words mean an adult male deer, but stag is the everyday modern term, while hart is an older, now literary word applied especially to a mature male red deer. Hart survives mainly in poetry, heraldry, place names, and pub names such as the White Hart.
What is the difference between hart and heart?
They are homophones: hart is an adult male deer, while heart is the organ that pumps blood and, figuratively, the seat of emotion. The two are pronounced identically, so spelling is the only way to tell them apart in writing.
What is the female equivalent of a hart?
The traditional female counterpart of a hart is a hind, the word for an adult female red deer. The pairing of hart and hind appears frequently in older literature and hunting vocabulary.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include hart:
