Hypertext Webster Gateway: "annealing"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Annealing \An*neal"ing\, n.
1. The process used to render glass, iron, etc., less
brittle, performed by allowing them to cool very gradually
from a high heat.
2. The burning of metallic colors into glass, earthenware,
etc.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Anneal \An*neal"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Annealed}; p. pr. & vb.
n. {Annealing}.] [OE. anelen to heat, burn, AS. an?lan; an on
+ ?lan to burn; also OE. anelen to enamel, prob. influenced
by OF. neeler, nieler, to put a black enamel on gold or
silver, F. nieller, fr. LL. nigellare to blacken, fr. L.
nigellus blackish, dim. of niger black. Cf. {Niello},
{Negro}.]
1. To subject to great heat, and then cool slowly, as glass,
cast iron, steel, or other metal, for the purpose of
rendering it less brittle; to temper; to toughen.
2. To heat, as glass, tiles, or earthenware, in order to fix
the colors laid on them.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
annealing
n : hardening something by heat treatment [syn: {tempering}]
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