harda.[OE. hard, heard, AS. heard; akin to OS. & D. hard, G. hart, OHG. herti, harti, Icel. harr, Dan. haard, Sw. hrd, Goth. hardus, Gr. kraty`s strong, ka`rtos, kra`tos, strength, and also to E. -ard, as in coward, drunkard, -crat, -cracy in autocrat, democracy; cf. Skr. kratu strength, k to do, make. Cf. Hardy.]1. Not easily penetrated, cut, or separated into parts; not yielding to pressure; firm; solid; compact; -- applied to material bodies, and opposed to soft; as, hard wood; hard flesh; a hard apple.()2. Difficult, mentally or judicially; not easily apprehended, decided, or resolved; as a hard problem.()The hard causes they brought unto Moses. (Ex. xviii. 26.)In which are some things hard to be understood. (2 Peter iii. 16.)3. Difficult to accomplish; full of obstacles; laborious; fatiguing; arduous; as, a hard task; a disease hard to cure.()4. Difficult to resist or control; powerful.()The stag was too hard for the horse. (L'Estrange.) A power which will be always too hard for them. (Addison.)5. Difficult to bear or endure; not easy to put up with or consent to; hence, severe; rigorous; oppressive; distressing; unjust; grasping; as, a hard lot; hard times; hard fare; a hard winter; hard conditions or terms.()I never could drive a hard bargain. (Burke.)6. Difficult to please or influence; stern; unyielding; obdurate; unsympathetic; unfeeling; cruel; as, a hard master; a hard heart; hard words; a hard character.()7. Not easy or agreeable to the taste; harsh; stiff; rigid; ungraceful; repelling; as, a hard style.()Figures harder than even the marble itself. (Dryden.)8. Rough; acid; sour, as liquors; as, hard cider.()9. (Pron.) Abrupt or explosive in utterance; not aspirated, sibilated, or pronounced with a gradual change of the organs from one position to another; -- said of certain consonants, as c in came, and g in go, as distinguished from the same letters in center, general, etc.()10. Wanting softness or smoothness of utterance; harsh; as, a hard tone.()11. (Painting) Rigid in the drawing or distribution of the figures; formal; lacking grace of composition.()Hard cancer, Hard case, etc. See under Cancer, Case, etc. -- Hard clam, or Hard-shelled clam (Zol.), the quahog. -- Hard coal, anthracite, as distinguished from bituminous coal (soft coal). -- Hard and fast. (Naut.) See under Fast. -- Hard finish (Arch.), a smooth finishing coat of hard fine plaster applied to the surface of rough plastering. -- Hard lines, hardship; difficult conditions. -- Hard money, coin or specie, as distinguished from paper money. -- Hard oyster (Zol.), the northern native oyster. [Local, U. S.] -- Hard pan, the hard stratum of earth lying beneath the soil; hence, figuratively, the firm, substantial, fundamental part or quality of anything; as, the hard pan of character, of a matter in dispute, etc. See Pan. -- Hard rubber. See under Rubber. -- Hard solder. See under Solder. -- Hard water, water, which contains lime or some mineral substance rendering it unfit for washing. See Hardness, 3. -- Hard wood, wood of a solid or hard texture; as walnut, oak, ash, box, and the like, in distinction from pine, poplar, hemlock, etc. -- In hard condition, in excellent condition for racing; having firm muscles; -- said of race horses.()()adv.[OE. harde, AS. hearde.]1. With pressure; with urgency; hence, diligently; earnestly.()And prayed so hard for mercy from the prince. (Dryden.)My father
Is hard at study; pray now, rest yourself. (Shak.)2. With difficulty; as, the vehicle moves hard.()3. Uneasily; vexatiously; slowly.(Shak.)4. So as to raise difficulties.(Sir T. Browne.)5. With tension or strain of the powers; violently; with force; tempestuously; vehemently; vigorously; energetically; as, to press, to blow, to rain hard; hence, rapidly; nimbly; as, to run hard.()6. Close or near.()Whose house joined hard to the synagogue. (Acts xviii. 7.)Hard by, near by; close at hand; not far off. Hard by a cottage chimney smokes. Milton. -- Hard pushed, Hard run, greatly pressed; as, he was hard pushed or hard run for time, money, etc. [Colloq.] -- Hard up, closely pressed by want or necessity; without money or resources; as, hard up for amusements. [Slang]()()v. t. To harden; to make hard.(Chaucer.)n. A ford or passage across a river or swamp.()