induration

I1N1D2U1R1A1T1I1O1N1
/ɪndjʊˈɹeɪʃən/

noun

Hardness.

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Meanings

nouninduration (countable and uncountable, plural indurations)

plural indurations · alternative enduration

  1. countableuncountableHardness.

    The voice was harder than I had known, and not only in stony reaction to long floods of wholly just selfpity, also roughened with gin and smoke, perhaps also assimilated to New York induration, the hardness of culture as well as of pain.

    1980. Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers
  2. countableuncountableAn enduring presence; fixity.

    Even the putatively innocuous whimsical shapes and designs of cakes and pastry, notably in Central Europe, retain to this day the phallic concept, the cryptic induration of the aphrodisiac function.

    1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page iii
  3. countableuncountableThe process of becoming hard.
  4. countableuncountablemedicineA hardening of an area of the body as a reaction to inflammation, hyperemia, or neoplastic infiltration.
  5. broadlycountableuncountabledermatologyAn area or part of the body that has undergone such a reaction.

    The erythema had spread to 20 cm, and the central induration had spread to 9 cm.

    2005. Race, et al. "Painful nodule with induration and spreading erythema." Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings. 2005;18(4):401–404
    1 more example

    Both erythema and induration appear to be adequate indices of tuberculin sensitivity.

    2005. Kimura, et al. "Comparison of erythema and induration as results of tuberculin tests." Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2005;9(8):853-7. PMID 16104630
  6. countableuncountablegeographyThe quality of nonfriability; the extent to which a rock does not crumble; rock strength.
    1 more example

    "Induration is a measure of rock "strength" and is defined as the ratio of the measured frame modulus to the maximum frame modulus allowed by the Gassmann-Biot model." Spratt, R. S.; Goins, N. R. and Fitch, T. J. (1993) "Pseudo-shear — The analysis of AVO." Castagna, John P. and Backus, Milo M. (eds.) Offset-Dependent Reflectivity — Theory and Practice of AVO Analysis. Series: Investigation in Geophysics volume 8. Tulsa : Society of Exploration Geophysicistspp. 37-56, page 37, isbn 978-1-56080-059-0.

  7. countableuncountablegeographyThe process of the strengthening of rocks by heating, compaction or cementation, or a combination thereof.

    "Induration of carbonate rocks proceeds predominately in the early stages (prior to diagenesis) by compaction and expulsion of fluids." Whittaker, Alun (1985) Formation Evaluation: Geological Procedures Dordrecht : Springer Verlag page 104, isbn 978-94-010-8861-9.

    1 more example

    "At a given degree of induration, massive rocks of sandstone, siltstone, and limestone are the strongest, while shaly rocks with more or less parallel, closely spaced separation surfaces created during sedimentation in thin layers are the weakest." Committee on Underground Coal Mine Safety (1982) Toward Safer Underground Coal Mines Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, page 32, isbn 978-0-309-03298-8.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounany pathological hardening or thickening of tissue

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Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Medieval Latininduratiō
  2. Old Frenchinduracion“hardness, obstinacy”
  3. Middle Englishinduracioun
  4. Englishinduration

From Middle English induracioun, from Old French induracion (“hardness, obstinacy”) or directly from Medieval Latin induratiō.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian втвърдяване
  • втвърдяване (vtvărdjavane)medical: hardening of an area of the body
Finnish kovettuminen, kovettuma
  • kovettuminenmedical: hardening of an area of the body
  • kovettumamedical: hardened area of the body
Polish stwardnienie
  • stwardnieniemedical: hardening of an area of the body

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

induration. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/induration

MLA

“induration.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/induration. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “induration,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/induration.

Source: induration on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.