# hark back

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˌhɑːk ˈbæk/

## Definitions
1. Of hounds: to retrace a course in order to pick up the lost scent of prey.
2. To return to where one has previously been; to retrace one's steps.
3. To allude, return, or revert (to a subject previously mentioned, etc.); also, to evoke, or long or pine for (a past era or event).
4. To call back (hounds); to recall.

## Etymology
From hark (“to listen attentively”) + back (“to or in a previous condition or place”, adverb), originally a hunting command to hounds meaning “Listen! Go back!”.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hark-back