annealing

verb (used with object)

1. to heat (glass, earthenware, metals, etc.) to remove or prevent internal stress.
2. to free from internal stress by heating and gradually cooling.
3. to toughen or temper.
4. Biochemistry. to recombine (nucleic acid strands) at low temperature after separating by heat.
5. to fuse colors onto (a vitreous or metallic surface) by heating.

noun

6. an act, instance, or product of annealing.

verb

1. to temper or toughen (something) by heat treatment
2. to subject to or undergo some physical treatment, esp heating, that removes internal stress, crystal defects, and dislocations
3. (tr) to toughen or strengthen (the will, determination, etc)
4. (often foll by out) physics to disappear or cause to disappear by a rearrangement of atomsdefects anneal out at different temperatures

noun

5. an act of annealing