hard·en

[hahr-dn]
verb (used with object)
1.
to make hard or harder: to harden steel.
2.
to make pitiless or unfeeling: to harden one's heart.
3.
to make rigid or unyielding; stiffen: The rigors of poverty hardened his personality.
4.
to strengthen or confirm, especially with reference to character, intentions, feelings, etc.; reinforce.
5.
to make hardy, robust, or capable of endurance; toughen.
6.
Military. to reinforce the structure of (a military or strategic installation) to protect it from nuclear bombardment.
verb (used without object)
7.
to become hard or harder.
8.
to become pitiless or unfeeling.
9.
to become rigid or unyielding; stiffen: His personality hardened over the years.
10.
to become confirmed or strengthened: His resistance hardened.
11.
to become inured or toughened: The troops hardened under constant fire.
12.
Commerce.
a.
to cease to fluctuate; firm: When the speculators withdrew from the market, the prices hardened.
b.
to rise higher.
00:10
Harden is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.

Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English; see hard, -en1

hard·en·a·ble, adjective
hard·en·a·bil·i·ty, noun
o·ver·hard·en, verb
pre·hard·en, verb (used with object)
re·hard·en, verb
un·hard·en, verb (used with object)
un·hard·en·a·ble, adjective


1. solidify, indurate; petrify, ossify. 4. fortify, steel, brace, nerve.


1. soften. 4. weaken.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

Har·den

[hahr-dn]
noun
Sir Arthur, 1865–1940, English biochemist: Nobel prize 1929.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To harden
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World English Dictionary
harden1 (ˈhɑːdən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  to make or become hard or harder; freeze, stiffen, or set
2.  to make or become more hardy, tough, or unfeeling
3.  to make or become stronger or firmer: they hardened defences
4.  to make or become more resolute or set: hardened in his resolve
5.  (intr) commerce
 a.  (of prices, a market, etc) to cease to fluctuate
 b.  (of price) to rise higher

harden2 (ˈhɑːdən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a rough fabric made from hards

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Example sentences from the web
Eventually the swollen parts of the skin will begin to harden and fold over the nail.
Cement requires a moist, controlled environment to gain strength and harden fully.
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