an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
The fireplace was so large you could walk inside it. He laid a fire in the hearth and lit it. The hearth was black with the charcoal of many fires.
source: WordNet 3.0
home symbolized as a part of the fireplace
Driven from hearth and home. Fighting in defense of their firesides.
source: WordNet 3.0
an area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room)
They sat on the hearth and warmed themselves before the fire.
source: WordNet 3.0
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.
