[hahrd-nis] 
| 1. | the state or quality of being hard: the hardness of ice. |
| 2. | a relative degree or extent of this quality: wood of a desirable hardness. |
| 3. | that quality in water that is imparted by the presence of dissolved salts, esp. calcium sulfate or bicarbonate. |
| 4. | unfeelingness or jadedness; callousness. |
| 5. | harshness or austerity, as of a difficult existence. |
| 6. | South Midland U.S. ill will; bad feelings: There's a lot of hardness between those two boys. |
| 7. | Mineralogy. the comparative ability of a substance to scratch or be scratched by another. Compare Mohs scale. |
| 8. | Metallurgy. the measured resistance of a metal to indention, abrasion, deformation, or machining. |
| hard·ness (härd'nĭs) n.
|
nɪs