Definitions of hearth:

• noun:   home symbolized as a part of the fireplace

  Example: "Driven from hearth and home"

• noun:   an area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room)

  Example: "They sat on the hearth and warmed themselves before the fire"

• noun:   an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built

  Example: "He laid a fire in the hearth and lit it"