Hardness

//ˈhɑɹdnəs// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The quality of being hard. countable, uncountable

    "Who can number the cloudes in wiſedom? or who can ſtay the bottles of heauen, / When the duſt groweeh^([sic – meaning groweth]) into hardneſſe and the clods cleaue faſt together?"

  2. 2
    excessive sternness wordnet
  3. 3
    An instance of this quality; hardship. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    the quality of being difficult to do wordnet
  5. 5
    The quantity of calcium carbonate dissolved in water, usually expressed in parts per million (ppm). countable, uncountable
Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    devoid of passion or feeling; hardheartedness wordnet
  2. 7
    The resistance to scratching, cutting, indentation or abrasion of a metal or other solid material. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    a quality of water that contains dissolved mineral salts that prevent soap from lathering wordnet
  4. 9
    The penetrating ability of electromagnetic radiation, such as x-rays; generally, the shorter the wavelength, the harder and more penetrating the radiation. countable, uncountable
  5. 10
    the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched; measured on Mohs scale wordnet
  6. 11
    The measure of resistance to damage of a facility, equipment, installation, or telecommunications infrastructure when subjected to attack. countable, uncountable
  7. 12
    A measure of how hard a material is. countable

    "The hardness of the material was high."

Etymology

From Middle English hardness, hardnesse, from Old English heardnes, from heard + -nes, equivalent to hard + -ness.

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