harden
verbUS /ˈhɑɹdn̩/ · UK /ˈhɑːdn̩/
Etymology From Middle English hardenen, equivalent to hard + -en. Cognate with Danish hærdne (“to harden; cure”), Swedish hårdna (“to harden”), Norwegian herdne (“to harden”), Icelandic harðna (“to harden”).
8 senses
To become hard.
- The Chief Medical Officer of London Transport believes that public opinion against smoking will harden to the point of a total bar on the Underground, as in other countries.1959 May 23, “Accommodation for Non-Smokers”, in Railway Magazine, pages 295-296:
Ergative To make something hard or harder.
Figuratively To strengthen.
- In view of the system's relatively low cost, the preferred alternative could be for the military user to avail himself of multiple base stations rather than seeking to harden the base station hardware for defense applications.2002, Jane's International Defense Review, volume 35:
- Ramos had locked Salah’s right arm and turned him, judo-style, as they lost balance going for the same ball. Television replays hardened the suspicion it was a calculated move on Ramos’s part and, when Salah landed with a hell of a thud, the damage was considerable.2018 May 26, Daniel Taylor, “Liverpool go through after Mohamed Salah stops Manchester City fightback”, in The Guardian (London):
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences To modify (a website or other system) to make it resistant to malicious attacks.
Ambitransitive To become or make (a person or thing) resistant or less sensitive.
- (obs.)
- When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.KJV, Exodus 4:21
Informal To get an erection.
- He hardened as he imagined himself running his hands over her small breasts1999 August 2, Karen Mitchell, “Files from the Feminet BBS NOVAD5.TXT 38.38 KB”, in alt.sex.stories.tg (Usenet):
Human sciences, Linguistics, Phonology, Sciences Ambitransitive To become or make (a consonant) more fortis; to (cause to) undergo fortition.
To unpalatalize or velarize.
Slavic phonology
- Of course one needs to keep in mind the fact that *tʹ and *dʹ are hardened before *e and *i in Ukrainian and Rusyn[…]2007, Stefan Pugh, A New Historical Grammar of the East Slavic Languages:
- Belarussian preserved soft labials before vowels, hardened rʹ to r, and affricated tʹ and dʹ[…]2013 February 1, Philipp Strazny, Encyclopedia of Linguistics, Routledge, →ISBN, page 914:
- Antonyms
- soften
- Derived terms
- caseharden, case harden, deharden, enharden, forharden, hammer-harden, hardenability, hardenable, hardened, hardener, hardening, hardenite, harden off, harden one's neck, harden someone's heart, harden up, overharden, photoharden, preharden, reharden, superharden, unharden, work-harden
- Related terms
- hardness, hard, strengthen