Hardened
/ˈhɑːrdənd/noun
Made hard or rigid; emotionally toughened or desensitized.
Did you know?The word comes from the same ancient root as *hard*, which stretches back to Proto-Indo-European *ker-* meaning “hard” or “sharp,” a root that also helped shape words like *horn* and *hornet*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“hard; sharp”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*harduz
“hard, strong, severe”
Old English
English
heard
“hard, firm, solid”
Middle English
English
harden
“to make hard or firm”
Modern English
English
hardened
“made hard; emotionally toughened”