chiefly British
: the male of the red deer especially when over five years old : stag compare hind

Examples of hart in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web What is the meaning of the white hart in House of the Dragon? Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 8 Sep. 2022 The hunt that's prepared for Aegon's second name day is a sham; after much talk about the king slaying a white hart — the king of the kingswood — his soldiers are unable to find the beast. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 5 Sep. 2022 One side of the exterior (featuring the royal arms of France and England) suffers from water damage; the other pictures a white hart with crown and chains, the king’s personal emblem, sitting on rosemary branches. Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2020 Each wears a badge: the hart that is the king’s personal symbol—hardly an ecclesiastical motif. Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hart.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hert, going back to Old English heorot, heort "hart, stag," going back to Germanic *heruta- "horned animal" (whence also Old Saxon hirut "stag," Old High German hiruz, hirz "deer, red deer, stag," Old Norse hjǫrtr), from *her- "horn" (going back to Indo-European *ḱer-) + *-uta-, suffix of animal names — more at horn

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hart was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near hart

Cite this Entry

“Hart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hart. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hart

noun
chiefly British
: a male red deer especially over five years old : stag

Biographical Definition

Hart 1 of 6

biographical name (1)

Albert Bushnell 1854–1943 American historian and editor

Hart

2 of 6

biographical name (2)

Lorenz 1895–1943 American lyricist

Hart

3 of 6

biographical name (3)

Moss 1904–1961 American librettist and dramatist

Hart

4 of 6

biographical name (4)

Oliver 1948–     American (British-born) economist

Hart

5 of 6

biographical name (5)

Sir Robert 1835–1911 British diplomat

Hart

6 of 6

biographical name (6)

William S(urrey) 1872–1946 American actor

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