also: ほのぎく
yodan verb with 'ku' ending (archaic), transitive verb
hear faintly; catch wind of
Archaic yodan verb meaning to hear something indirectly or faintly. Not used in modern Japanese; the modern equivalent is 仄聞する (そくぶんする) or 小耳に挟む (こみみにはさむ).
In classical texts, 仄聞く appears, meaning to have faintly heard a rumor.
Archaic kanji spelling; the verb is obsolete in modern Japanese.
Alternate reading with rendaku; also archaic.
Compound of 仄 (ほの, 'faint') + 聞く (きく, 'hear'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the structure is transparent.