Har"dy (här"d&ybreve;), a. [Compar. Hardier (-d&ibreve;*&etilde;r); 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.

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.

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.

&fist; 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.

• Having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships. A hardy plant is one that can withstand the extremes of climate, such as frost.
  

• English novelist and poet (1840-1928).