face-harden

American

[feys-hahr-dn] / ˈfeɪsˌhɑr dn /

verb (used with object)

to harden the surface of (metal), as by chilling or casehardening.

face-harden British

verb

(tr) to harden the surface of (steel or iron) by the addition of carbon at high temperature

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of face-harden

First recorded in 1895–1900

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023