Well, it's an expansion for Skyrim ... I'm pretty sure it's not a 'real' word, but people would probably know what you were communicating if you used it, so I think it's fine if that's the question.
Maybe I thought it was a word because I played Skyrim? IDK This is the line in question: The strange flicker of shadows cast by the candles and hearthfire reminded him of the first night he spent in Oak’s grove.
its a combination of two words like 'hellfire' or 'campfire' - I wouldn't worry about using it as its perfectly clear what you mean
Yes it defines itself, and even an average reader will understand what it means. Who's up for marshmallows?
It's a sort of play on words from Skyrim. The DLC is based around home-building and there's a month in the Tamrielic calender called 'Heartfire'. A fire in a hearth is usually just called 'a fire'.
You are the author. If it exists in your written world, then it is indeed a word. . .even if in your work only. While a space between the hearth and fire would eliminate the question, I happen to think that hearthfire has a certain charm to it.
Honestly, I do not see why it couldn't be a word. The English language, as it stands, does not have a unified body dictating what is - or is not, a word. So really, I could make a word called: Blabbergaffed, which is a word defining someone who had been hit in the left shoulder with the kidney of a goat. So, really, your blabbergaffed hearthfire is entire patipotz and as such i can verify it's entire blotensag. edit: come to think about it, I do not think there is anywhere that says what exactly is the english language. There is no-one to say what is an english word, or even what is english. So therefore: Je parle maintenant en anglais comme je l'ai fait précédemment. Prennez plaisir.
Hardly official. It is just a single dictionary, and many others may say otherwise if they so please. That said, they typically use the most commonly accepted spelling and words.
Not to mention if they are unsure what should be in the dictionary, they look to recent word usage by popular literary writers.
Didn't the word "Muggle" make it into some dictionary? And besides, shakespear can be credited with at least the popularisation (if not invention - which is arguable) of many words we now use today.
I'm on the side of "just because it's not in a Dictionary doesn't mean it's not a real word". It may not be one officially recognized by a wide number of authorities on words, but if the word has a clear meaning and enough people use it, then what exactly makes it not a real word? Although if you're writing up something official and your boss or professor or whatever says "Hey mac, "Fartslime" isn't a proper word," claiming that anything is a real word if you speak it isn't exactly an applicable argument.