self-hardening

[ self-hahr-dn-ing, self- ]

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to any of various steels that harden after heating without quenching or other treatment.

Other Words From

• self-hardened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-hardening¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Its alloy is much used for high-speed cutting tools, the steel hardening when cooled in the air and being called self-hardening.

From Project Gutenberg

This alloy, because hardened simply in air, was called “air-hardening” or “self-hardening.”

From Project Gutenberg