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har·dy¹

(härdē)

adj. har·di·er, har·di·est

1. Able to withstand difficult or adverse conditions; robust: hardy explorers; hardy perennials.

a. Courageous; intrepid.

b. Archaic Brazenly daring; audacious.

[Middle English, from Old French hardi, past participle of hardir, make hard, embolden, of Germanic origin; see kar- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

hardi·ly adv.

hardi·ness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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