deharden

present singular third person dehardens · participle present dehardening · participle past dehardened · past dehardened

1. ambitransitiveTo make or become less hard (resistant to pressure).

   It is possible by careful adjustment of concentrations to deharden the gelatine and cut down any obnoxious soaking periods to convenient times.

   1930, Camera: A Practical Magazine for Photographers, volume 41

   1 more example

   Below freezing winter temperatures must last long enough for the tree to begin the dehardening process necessary for the beginning of sap production; should this period become too short, tree physiology and vigor could be affected which would reduce sap production.

   2015 December 19, “Impacts of Climate Change on the Timing of the Production Season of Maple Syrup in Eastern Canada”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI