a. Experienced in combat, and therefore more effective at fighting; -- used mostly of infantry troops; as, battle-hardened veterans.
Syn. -- combat-hardened, combat-tested. [ PJC ]

{ } n. [ F. bégard, béguard; cf. G. beghard, LL. Beghardus, Begihardus, Begardus. Prob. from the root of beguine + -ard or -hard. See Beguine. ] (Eccl. Hist.) One of an association of religious laymen living in imitation of the Beguines. They arose in the thirteenth century, were afterward subjected to much persecution, and were suppressed by Innocent X. in 1650. Called also Beguins. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ After Thomas Blanchard, American inventor. ] (Mach.) A kind of wood-turning lathe for making noncircular and irregular forms, as felloes, gun stocks, lasts, spokes, etc., after a given pattern. The pattern and work rotate on parallel spindles in the same direction with the same speed, and the work is shaped by a rapidly rotating cutter whose position is varied by the pattern acting as a cam upon a follower wheel traversing slowly along the pattern. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. a very boastful and talkative person.
Syn. -- braggart, boaster, line-shooter, vaunter. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. 1. To subject to a process which converts the surface of iron into steel. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To render insensible to good influences. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Having the surface hardened, as iron tools. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hardened against, or insusceptible to, good influences; rendered callous by persistence in wrongdoing or resistance of good influences; -- said of persons. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act or process of converting the surface of iron into steel. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Casehardening is now commonly effected by cementation with charcoal or other carbonizing material, the depth and degree of hardening (carbonization) depending on the time during which the iron is exposed to the heat. See Cementation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. carde esculent thistle. ] 1. The tender leaves or leafstalks of the artichoke, white beet, etc., blanched for table use. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A variety of the white beet, which produces large, succulent leaves and leafstalks. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a white wine grape. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. dry white Chablis-type table wine made from Chardonnay grapes.
Syn. -- Pinot Chardonnay. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. one who stubbornly adheres to traditional and outdated views.
Syn. -- traditionalist. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. one who vigorously defends an apparently hopeless position, a lost cause, etc. [ PJC ]

a. stubbornly and vigorously resisting in the face of seemingly hopeless odds; as, diehard opposition.
Syn. -- never-say-die. [ PJC ]

v. t. [ Pref. en- + harden: cf. F. enhardir to embolden. ] To harden; to embolden. [ Obs. ] Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. to harden (steel) by adding carbon. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The state of being foolhardy; foolhardiness. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a foolhardy manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Courage without sense or judgment; foolish rashness; recklessness. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Fool, F. fol, fou + F. hardiesse boldness. ] Foolhardiness. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ OF. folhardi. See Fool idiot, and Hardy. ] Daring without judgment; foolishly adventurous and bold. Howell.

Syn. -- Rash; venturesome; venturous; precipitate; reckless; headlong; incautious. See Rash. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To harden, as a metal, by hammering it in the cold state. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Compar. Harder superl. Hardest. ] [ OE. hard, heard, AS. heard; akin to OS. & D. hard, G. hart, OHG. herti, harti, Icel. harðr, Dan. haard, Sw. hård, Goth. hardus, Gr. kraty`s strong, ka`rtos, kra`tos, strength, and also to E. -ard, as in coward, drunkard, -crat, -cracy in autocrat, democracy; cf. Skr. kratu strength, k&rsdot_; to do, make. Cf. Hardy. ] 1. Not easily penetrated, cut, or separated into parts; not yielding to pressure; firm; solid; compact; -- applied to material bodies, and opposed to soft; as, hard wood; hard flesh; a hard apple. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Difficult, mentally or judicially; not easily apprehended, decided, or resolved; as a hard problem. [ 1913 Webster ]

The hard causes they brought unto Moses. Ex. xviii. 26. [ 1913 Webster ]

In which are some things hard to be understood. 2 Peter iii. 16. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Difficult to accomplish; full of obstacles; laborious; fatiguing; arduous; as, a hard task; a disease hard to cure. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Difficult to resist or control; powerful. [ 1913 Webster ]

The stag was too hard for the horse. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

A power which will be always too hard for them. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Difficult to bear or endure; not easy to put up with or consent to; hence, severe; rigorous; oppressive; distressing; unjust; grasping; as, a hard lot; hard times; hard fare; a hard winter; hard conditions or terms. [ 1913 Webster ]

I never could drive a hard bargain. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Difficult to please or influence; stern; unyielding; obdurate; unsympathetic; unfeeling; cruel; as, a hard master; a hard heart; hard words; a hard character. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Not easy or agreeable to the taste; harsh; stiff; rigid; ungraceful; repelling; as, a hard style. [ 1913 Webster ]

Figures harder than even the marble itself. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. Rough; acid; sour, as liquors; as, hard cider. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Pron.) Abrupt or explosive in utterance; not aspirated, sibilated, or pronounced with a gradual change of the organs from one position to another; -- said of certain consonants, as c in came, and g in go, as distinguished from the same letters in center, general, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. Wanting softness or smoothness of utterance; harsh; as, a hard tone. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. (Painting) (a) Rigid in the drawing or distribution of the figures; formal; lacking grace of composition. (b) Having disagreeable and abrupt contrasts in the coloring or light and shade. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hard cancer,
Hard case, etc. See under Cancer, Case, etc. --
Hard clam, or
Hard-shelled clam (Zool.), the quahog. --
Hard coal, anthracite, as distinguished from bituminous coal (soft coal). --
Hard and fast. (Naut.) See under Fast. --
Hard finish (Arch.), a smooth finishing coat of hard fine plaster applied to the surface of rough plastering. --
Hard lines, hardship; difficult conditions. --
Hard money, coin or specie, as distinguished from paper money. --
Hard oyster (Zool.), the northern native oyster. [ Local, U. S. ] --
Hard pan, the hard stratum of earth lying beneath the soil; hence, figuratively, the firm, substantial, fundamental part or quality of anything; as, the hard pan of character, of a matter in dispute, etc. See Pan. --
Hard rubber. See under Rubber. --
Hard solder. See under Solder. --
Hard water, water, which contains lime or some mineral substance rendering it unfit for washing. See Hardness, 3. --
Hard wood, wood of a solid or hard texture; as walnut, oak, ash, box, and the like, in distinction from pine, poplar, hemlock, etc. --
In hard condition, in excellent condition for racing; having firm muscles; -- said of race horses.

Syn. -- Solid; arduous; powerful; trying; unyielding; stubborn; stern; flinty; unfeeling; harsh; difficult; severe; obdurate; rigid. See Solid, and Arduous. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ OE. harde, AS. hearde. ] 1. With pressure; with urgency; hence, diligently; earnestly. [ 1913 Webster ]

And prayed so hard for mercy from the prince. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

My father
Is hard at study; pray now, rest yourself. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. With difficulty; as, the vehicle moves hard. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Uneasily; vexatiously; slowly. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. So as to raise difficulties. “The question is hard set.” Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. With tension or strain of the powers; violently; with force; tempestuously; vehemently; vigorously; energetically; as, to press, to blow, to rain hard; hence, rapidly; nimbly; as, to run hard. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Close or near. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whose house joined hard to the synagogue. Acts xviii. 7. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hard by,
near by; close at hand; not far off. “Hard by a cottage chimney smokes.” Milton. --
Hard pushed,
Hard run, greatly pressed; as, he was hard pushed or hard run for time, money, etc. [ Colloq. ] --
Hard up, closely pressed by want or necessity; without money or resources; as, hard up for amusements. [ Slang ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Hard in nautical language is often joined to words of command to the helmsman, denoting that the order should be carried out with the utmost energy, or that the helm should be put, in the direction indicated, to the extreme limit, as, Hard aport! Hard astarboard! Hard alee! Hard aweather! Hard up!
Hard is also often used in composition with a participle; as, hard-baked; hard-earned; hard-featured; hard-working; hard-won. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To harden; to make hard. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A ford or passage across a river or swamp. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. invariable; firmly established; as, hard-and-fast regulations.
Syn. -- strict. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A person who strictly enforces rules and regulations. [ vulgar slang ] [ PJC ]

n. A book with cardboard or cloth or leather covers; a hardcover book. Compare paperback.
Syn. -- hardcover. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A sweetmeat of boiled brown sugar or molasses made with almonds, and flavored with orange or lemon juice, etc. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. baked until hard. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Bot.) A tree of the genus Carpinus, of compact, horny texture; hornbeam. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a cheap hard material made from wood chips that are pressed together and bound with synthetic resin to form sheets, used in construction and various other purposes; -- called also particle board and chipboard.
Syn. -- chipboard. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. not given to sentimentality or gentleness; -- of people; as, a hard-bitten character.
Syn. -- pugnacious, tough. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

adj. 1. same as hard-bitten.
Syn. -- hard-bitten, pugnacious. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. emotionally hardened; -- used of persons.
Syn. -- callous, case-hardened, hardened. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. cooked until the yolk is solid; -- used of eggs; as, a breakfast of pancakes and hard-boiled eggs. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. same as hardback; -- used of books. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. Having rigid front and back covers, usually boards covered with paper, cloth, or leather; -- of books. Contrasted with softcover and paperback. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. & a. Same as hardback n. and a.
Syn. -- hardback. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Hardened p. pr. & vb. n. Hardening ] [ OE. hardnen, hardenen. ] 1. To make hard or harder; to make firm or compact; to indurate; as, to harden clay or iron. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To accustom by labor or suffering to endure with constancy; to strengthen; to stiffen; to inure; also, to confirm in wickedness or shame; to make unimpressionable. “Harden not your heart.” Ps. xcv. 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

I would harden myself in sorrow. Job vi. 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To become hard or harder; to acquire solidity, or more compactness; as, mortar hardens by drying. [ 1913 Webster ]

The deliberate judgment of those who knew him [ A. Lincoln ] has hardened into tradition. The Century. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To become confirmed or strengthened, in either a good or a bad sense. [ 1913 Webster ]

They, hardened more by what might most reclaim. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A small genus of Australian woody vines with small violet flowers; closely related to genus Kennedia.
Syn. -- genus Hardenbergia. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. 1. Made hard, or harder, or compact; made unfeeling or callous; made obstinate or obdurate; confirmed in error or vice.

2. Rendered resistant to the effects of nearby explosions; as, a hardened missile silo; hardened warhead electronics. [ PJC ]

3. Experienced and inured to hardship; as, hardened combat troops. [ PJC ]

4. Strongly habituated to a certain type of behavior, and unlikely to change; as, a hardened criminal. Usually used only of behavior perceived negatively. [ PJC ]

Syn. -- Impenetrable; hard; obdurate; callous; unfeeling; unsusceptible; insensible. See Obdurate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, hardens; specif., one who tempers tools. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Making hard or harder. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which hardens, as a material used for converting the surface of iron into steel. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A South African mullet, salted for food. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) A term applied to a lachrymal gland on the inner side of the orbit of many animals which have a third eyelid, or nictitating membrane. See Nictitating membrane, under Nictitate. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Hard-featured; ill-looking; as, Vulcan was hard-favored. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Coarseness of features. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having coarse, unattractive or stern features. Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A species of fern (Lomaria borealis), growing in Europe and Northwestern America. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Having hard or strong hands; as, a hard-fisted laborer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Close-fisted; covetous; niggardly. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Vigorously contested by both opponents; -- of contests; as, a hard-fought battle; a hard-fought primary election. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

(Bot.) A name given to several different grasses, especially to the Roltböllia incurvata, and to the species of Aegilops, from one of which it is contended that wheat has been derived. [ 1913 Webster ]