The story
From hard (“with difficulty; with much effort”, adverb) + won (“obtained”, verb).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
hard-won
Today it means: Having been obtained with effort, despite difficulty and hardship. Full definition →
Today it means: Having been obtained with effort, despite difficulty and hardship. Full definition →
From hard (“with difficulty; with much effort”, adverb) + won (“obtained”, verb).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.