Har"dy (?), a. [Compar. Hardier (?); superl. Hardiest.] [F.hardi, p. p. fr. OF. hardir to make bold; of German origin, cf. OHG. hertan to harden, G. harten. See Hard, a.]
1.
Bold; brave; stout; daring; resolu?e; 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.
© Webster 1913.
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.
© Webster 1913.