Englishfor English speakers
tempering
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adjective
moderating by making more temperate
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noun
(= annealing)
hardening something by heat treatment
hardness
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noun
(= ruggedness)
the quality of being difficult to do
he assigned a series of problems of increasing hardness
the ruggedness of his exams caused half the class to fail
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noun
a quality of water that contains dissolved mineral salts that prevent soap from lathering
the costs of reducing hardness depend on the relative amounts of calcium and magnesium compounds that are present
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noun
the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched; measured on Mohs scale
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noun
(= unfeelingness)
devoid of passion or feeling; hardheartedness
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noun
(= severity, harshness, rigor, rigour)
excessive sternness
severity of character
the harshness of his punishment was inhuman
the rigors of boot camp