Harden
/ˈhɑː.dən/noun
To make or become hard, firm, or less easily affected.
Did you know?Harden is built from the old Germanic hard root, the same ancestral source behind words for toughness, strength, and endurance across multiple Indo-European languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kar-
“to be hard, strong”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*harduz
“hard, firm, strong”
Old English
English
heard
“hard, severe, strong”
Middle English
English
hardenen
“to make hard or firm”
Modern English
English
harden
“to make or become hard, firm, or less easily affected”