Heart vs. Hearth — What's the Difference?

A conventional heart shape associated with love.

A central gathering place in earlier times.

The heart is a muscular organ in most animals, which pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to the lungs.

The area at the base of a fireplace.

A hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation. In vertebrates there may be up to four chambers (as in humans), with two atria and two ventricles.

Historical cooking place.

The central or innermost part of something

A place of comfort or focal point in a home.

A conventional representation of a heart with two equal curves meeting at a point at the bottom and a cusp at the top.

A hearth is a brick- or stone-lined fireplace, with or without an oven, used for heating and originally also used for cooking food. For centuries, the hearth was such an integral part of a home, usually its central and most important feature, that the concept has been generalized to refer to a homeplace or household, as in the terms "hearth and home" and "keep the home fires burning".

The condition of agricultural land as regards fertility

Represents the home or domestic life.

Like very much; love

The floor of a fireplace, usually extending into a room and paved with brick, flagstone, or cement.

The chambered muscular organ in vertebrates that pumps blood received from the veins into the arteries, thereby maintaining the flow of blood through the entire circulatory system.

A fireplace

A similarly functioning structure in invertebrates.

Family life; the home.

The area that is the approximate location of the heart in the body; the breast.

The lowest part of a blast furnace or cupola, from which the molten metal flows.

The vital center and source of one's being, emotions, and sensibilities.

The bottom of a reverberatory furnace, where ore is exposed to the flame.

The repository of one's deepest and sincerest feelings and beliefs

The fireplace or brazier of a blacksmith's forge.

The seat of the intellect or imagination

The place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos, fireplace, oven, smoke hood, or chimney.

Emotional constitution, basic disposition, or character

A hearthstone, either as standalone or as the floor of an enclosed fireplace or oven.

One's prevailing mood or current inclination

A fireplace: an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire may be built.

Capacity for sympathy or generosity; compassion

The lowest part of a metallurgical furnace.

Love; affection

A brazier, chafing dish, or firebox.

Courage; resolution; fortitude

(figurative) Home or family life.

The firmness of will or the callousness required to carry out an unpleasant task or responsibility

(Germanic paganism) A household or group in some forms of the modern pagan faith Heathenry.

A person esteemed or admired as lovable, loyal, or courageous

The pavement or floor of brick, stone, or metal in a chimney, on which a fire is made; the floor of a fireplace; also, a corresponding part of a stove.

The central or innermost physical part of a place or region

The house itself, as the abode of comfort to its inmates and of hospitality to strangers; fireside.

The core of a plant, fruit, or vegetable, such as a heart of palm.

The floor of a furnace, on which the material to be heated lies, or the lowest part of a melting furnace, into which the melted material settles; as, an open-hearth smelting furnace.

The most important or essential part

An open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built;

A conventional two-lobed representation of the heart, usually colored red or pink.

Home symbolized as a part of the fireplace;

A red, heart-shaped figure on certain playing cards.

An area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room);

A playing card with this figure.

Hearts (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The suit of cards represented by this figure.

A card game in which the object is either to avoid hearts when taking tricks or to take all the hearts.

(Slang) To have great liking or affection for

(Archaic) To encourage; hearten.

(anatomy) A muscular organ that pumps blood through the body, traditionally thought to be the seat of emotion.

(uncountable) One's feelings and emotions, especially considered as part of one's character.

The seat of the affections or sensibilities, collectively or separately, as love, hate, joy, grief, courage, etc.; rarely, the seat of the understanding or will; usually in a good sense; personality.

Emotional strength that allows one to continue in difficult situations; courage; spirit; a will to compete.

Vigorous and efficient activity; power of fertile production; condition of the soil, whether good or bad.

(archaic) A term of affectionate or kindly and familiar address.

Memory.

(figurative) A wight or being.

A conventional shape or symbol used to represent the heart, love, or emotion: ♥ or sometimes <3.

A playing card of the suit hearts featuring one or more heart-shaped symbols.

(cartomancy) The twenty-fourth Lenormand card.

(figurative) The centre, essence, or core.

To be fond of. Often bracketed or abbreviated with a heart symbol.

To give heart to; to hearten; to encourage.

To fill an interior with rubble, as a wall or a breakwater.

To form a dense cluster of leaves, a heart, especially of lettuce or cabbage.

A hollow, muscular organ, which, by contracting rhythmically, keeps up the circulation of the blood.

The seat of the affections or sensibilities, collectively or separately, as love, hate, joy, grief, courage, and the like; rarely, the seat of the understanding or will; - usually in a good sense, when no epithet is expressed; the better or lovelier part of our nature; the spring of all our actions and purposes; the seat of moral life and character; the moral affections and character itself; the individual disposition and character; as, a good, tender, loving, bad, hard, or selfish heart.

The nearest the middle or center; the part most hidden and within; the inmost or most essential part of any body or system; the source of life and motion in any organization; the chief or vital portion; the center of activity, or of energetic or efficient action; as, the heart of a country, of a tree, etc.

Courage; courageous purpose; spirit.

Vigorous and efficient activity; power of fertile production; condition of the soil, whether good or bad.

That which resembles a heart in shape; especially, a roundish or oval figure or object having an obtuse point at one end, and at the other a corresponding indentation, - used as a symbol or representative of the heart.

One of the suits of playing cards, distinguished by the figure or figures of a heart; as, hearts are trumps.

Vital part; secret meaning; real intention.

A term of affectionate or kindly and familiar address.

To give heart to; to hearten; to encourage; to inspirit.

To form a compact center or heart; as, a hearting cabbage.

The locus of feelings and intuitions;

The hollow muscular organ located behind the sternum and between the lungs; its rhythmic contractions pump blood through the body;

The courage to carry on;

An area that is approximately central within some larger region;

The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience;

An inclination or tendency of a certain kind;

A plane figure with rounded sides curving inward at the top and intersecting at the bottom; conventionally used on playing cards and valentines;

A firm rather dry variety meat (usually beef or veal);

A positive feeling of liking;

A playing card in the major suit of hearts;

The heart circulates blood throughout the body.

Often symbolizes love or emotion.

The central or most important part.

Denotes bravery or spirit.

Yes, 'heart' is central to the medical field of cardiology.

Yes, 'heart' often symbolizes love, courage, or the core essence of something.

The heart is associated with the iconic heart shape, especially on Valentine's Day.

'Heart' can describe someone's courage or emotional strength.

A hearth is the floor of a fireplace or symbolizes the home.

'Heart' is a noun.

Yes, such as "heart of gold" or "after my own heart."

The heart pumps blood through the body's circulatory system.

Yes, 'hearth' symbolizes warmth, comfort, and familial love.

'Hearth' is not typically used in technical fields but may appear in architecture.

'Hearth' connotes a gathering place for family, historically a warm and communal space.

'Hearth' is also a noun.

Not commonly, though it may appear in phrases like "home is where the hearth is."

Its meaning is usually consistent, relating to the fireplace or home.

No, they have distinct meanings and uses.