Hard (h‰rd), a. [Compar. Harder (-r); superl. Hardest.] [OE. hard,
heard, AS. heard; akin to OS. & D. hard, G. hart, OHG. herti, harti,
Icel. harr, Dan. haard, Sw. hÂrd, Goth. hardus, Gr. kraty`s strong,
ka`rtos, kra`tos, strength, and also to E. -ard, as in coward,
drunkard, -crat, -cracy in autocrat, democracy; cf. Skr. kratu
strength, k to do, make. Cf. Hardy.] 1. Not easily penetrated, cut, or
separated into parts; not yielding to pressure; firm; solid; compact;
-- applied to material bodies, and opposed to soft; as, hard wood; hard
flesh; a hard apple.
2. Difficult, mentally or judicially; not easily apprehended, decided,
or resolved; as a hard problem.
The hard causes they brought unto Moses.
Ex. xviii. 26.
In which are some things hard to be understood.