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HARDENING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of making something harder (firmer or tighter or more compact)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("hardening" is a kind of...):
change of integrity (the act of changing the unity or wholeness of something)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hardening"):
annealing; tempering (hardening something by heat treatment)
Derivation:
harden (make hard or harder)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The process of becoming hard or solid by cooling or drying or crystallization
Example:
he tested the set of the glue
Synonyms:
curing; hardening; set; solidification; solidifying
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Hypernyms ("hardening" is a kind of...):
action; activity; natural action; natural process (a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hardening"):
congealment; congelation (the process of congealing; solidification by (or as if by) freezing)
Holonyms ("hardening" is a part of...):
plastination (a process involving fixation and dehydration and forced impregnation and hardening of biological tissues; water and lipids are replaced by curable polymers (silicone or epoxy or polyester) that are subsequently hardened)
Derivation:
harden (become hard or harder)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Abnormal hardening or thickening of tissue
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("hardening" is a kind of...):
symptom ((medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hardening"):
callosity; callus (an area of skin that is thick or hard from continual pressure or friction (as the sole of the foot))
calcification (tissue hardened by deposition of lime salts)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb harden
Context examples:
"Now this won't do," said John, hardening his heart against the engaging little sinner.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
It developed what little executive ability I possessed, and I was aware of a toughening or hardening which I was undergoing and which could not be anything but wholesome for “Sissy” Van Weyden.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
These plaques, a hallmark of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), also tended to be more structurally unstable, which means that they have an increased likelihood of causing heart attack and stroke.
(Researchers have found a link between allergen in red meat and heart disease, National Institutes of Health)
I have, returned Elinor, colouring likewise, and hardening her heart anew against any compassion for him, I have heard it all.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
Chlorendic acid is used as a reactive flame retardant, chemical intermediate, hardening agent and as an extreme pressure lubricant.
(Chlorendic Acid, NCI Thesaurus)
In studies using mice, they discovered a previously unknown mechanism between the brain, bone marrow, and blood vessels that appears to protect against the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries — but only when sleep is healthy and sound.
(Study helps solve mystery of how sleep protects against heart disease, National Institutes of Health)
There is no current treatment for hardening of the arteries, which is caused by build-up of bone-like calcium deposits, stiffening the arteries and restricting blood flow to organs and tissues.
(Cause of hardening of the arteries – and potential treatment – identified, University of Cambridge)
This hardening, or biomineralisation, is essential for the production of bone, but in arteries it underlies a lot of cardiovascular disease and other diseases associated with ageing like dementia.
(Cause of hardening of the arteries – and potential treatment – identified, University of Cambridge)
Once released, the PAR starts mopping up calcium into larger droplets which stick onto the components in artery walls that give the artery its elasticity, where they form ordered crystals and solidify, hardening the arteries.
(Cause of hardening of the arteries – and potential treatment – identified, University of Cambridge)
A team of UK scientists have identified the mechanism behind hardening of the arteries, and shown in animal studies that a generic medication normally used to treat acne could be an effective treatment for the condition.
(Cause of hardening of the arteries – and potential treatment – identified, University of Cambridge)
