annealing

verb

  1. To subject to great heat and then (often slow) cooling, and sometimes reheating and further cooling, for the purpose of rendering less brittle; to temper; to toughen.

  2. To cool glass slowly, to minimize internal stress.

  3. To burn colors onto a glass or other surface.

  4. To make a double-stranded nucleic acid by pairing a single strand with a complementary strand.

  5. To strengthen or harden.

    "The experience annealed them, strengthening their resolve."

Synonyms: indurate, ruggedize, temper

noun

  1. The heating of solid metal or glass to high temperatures and cooling it slowly so that its particles arrange into a defined lattice.

    "Without annealing, the quality of our metal products will diminish."