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1. Abnormal hardening or thickening of tissue
    
2. The process of becoming hard or solid by cooling or drying or crystallization
   "the hardening of concrete";
   - solidifying, solidification, set, curing
    
3. The act of making something harder (firmer, tighter or more compact)

1. Become hard or harder
   "The wax hardened";
   - indurate
    
2. Make hard or harder
   "The cold hardened the butter";
   - indurate
    
3. Harden by reheating and cooling in oil
   "harden steel";
   - temper
    
4. Make healthy
   "This trip will harden even the hardiest traveller";
   - season
    
5. Cause to accept or become hardened to; habituate
   "He was hardened to the cold";
   - inure, indurate, enure

Derived forms: hardenings

Type of: accustom, action, activity, change, change of integrity, habituate, modify, natural action, natural process, symptom, toughen

Part of: plastination

Encyclopedia: Hardening