To become or make firm, solid, or resistant to pressure. To become less sympathetic, flexible, or emotionally responsive.
From Old English 'heardian', derived from 'heard' (hard), from Proto-Germanic 'hardhuz'. The metaphorical sense of becoming emotionally tough developed in Middle English, extending the physical concept of solidification to psychological states. The word reflects the human tendency to conceptualize emotional states through physical metaphors.
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