Reharden

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause a substance or material to become hard again after it has softened or been melted; to restore firmness or solidity through a physical or chemical process; to make rigid once more following a period of flexibility
2. To induce a renewed state of hardness in an object or compound that had lost its firmness; to reverse softening by cooling, curing, or chemical reaction; to reinforce structural integrity by returning to a solid state
3. To bring back a previously softened material to its initial hardness; to solidify or stiffen again through treatment or cooling; to recover the firmness that was diminished by earlier conditions or processes

Etymology: "Reharden" is simply the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back to a former state," attached to "harden." The verb "harden" itself traces back through Old English "heardian," formed from "heard," meaning "hard," so the whole word is a straightforward layering of a prefix onto an existing English verb. The prefix does the work here: "reharden" means to make something hard again after it has softened, weakened, or lost firmness. The meaning covers physical processes such as cooling, curing, or chemical change that restore solidity, as well as more figurative uses about renewing resolve or strength.

Synonyms: re-temper, reheat, strengthen, harden again

Antonyms: soften, weaken, melt, loosen