hardness

[ hahrd-nis ]

noun

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, especially 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.

hardness

/ ˈhɑːdnɪs /

noun

1. the quality or condition of being hard
2. one of several measures of resistance to indentation, deformation, or abrasion See Mohs scale Brinell hardness number
3. the quality of water that causes it to impair the lathering of soap: caused by the presence of certain calcium salts. Temporary hardness can be removed by boiling whereas permanent hardness cannot

hardness

/ härd′nĭs /

1. A measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched. Hardness is measured on the Mohs scale.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hardness¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English hardnes, Old English heardnes; hard, -ness

Example Sentences

"We had a fabulous Mondo track at the Athens Olympics. I like the hardness of them. I definitely feel that they are a lot faster than tartan tracks," says Ms McCambridge.

From BBC

And the novelist Richard Ford once made it clear that questioning Ms. Munro’s mastery over the short story would be akin to doubting the hardness of a diamond or the bouquet of a ripened peach.

From New York Times

The result is extreme hardness and radiation resistance, as well as the ability to conduct heat and electricity at unmatched rates.

From Science Magazine

The spears and other tools were carved from spruce, larch, and pine, species that grew many kilometers away from the lake and combined hardness with elasticity.

From Science Magazine

India exploited the conditions, perhaps aided by moisture in the surface and the hardness of the new ball.

From BBC

Related Words

• sharpness