Hardy

Har"dy (här"d?), a. [Compar. Hardier (-dĭ*ẽr); superl. Hardiest.] [F. hardi, p. p. fr. OF. hardir to make bold; of German origin, cf. OHG. hertan to harden, G. härten. See Hard, a.] 1. Bold; brave; stout; daring; resolute; intrepid.

Hap helpeth hardy man alway.
Chaucer.

2. Confident; full of assurance; in a bad sense, morally hardened; shameless.

3. Strong; firm; compact.

[A] blast may shake in pieces his hardy fabric.
South.

4. Inured to fatigue or hardships; strong; capable of endurance; as, a hardy veteran; a hardy mariner.

5. Able to withstand the cold of winter.

☞ Plants which are hardy in Virginia may perish in New England. Half-hardy plants are those which are able to withstand mild winters or moderate frosts.

Har"dy, n. A blacksmith's fuller or chisel, having a square shank for insertion into a square hole in an anvil, called the hardy hole.