self-hardening

adjective

Designating, or pertaining to, any of various steels that harden when heated to above a red heat and cooled in air, usually in a blast of cold air with moderate rapidity, without quenching. Such steels are alloys of iron and carbon with manganese, tungsten and manganese, chromium, molybdenum and manganese, etc. They are chiefly used as high speed steels.

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Meanings

adjectiveself-hardening (not comparable)
  1. not comparableengineeringDesignating, or pertaining to, any of various steels that harden when heated to above a red heat and cooled in air, usually in a blast of cold air with moderate rapidity, without quenching. Such steels are alloys of iron and carbon with manganese, tungsten and manganese, chromium, molybdenum and manganese, etc. They are chiefly used as high speed steels.

Origin

From self- + hardening.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

self-hardening. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-hardening

MLA

“self-hardening.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-hardening. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-hardening,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-hardening.

Source: self-hardening on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.