1. The formation of a layer in a solid being dried that resists the passage of moisture movement from the interior to the surface. In a food dehydration process, or paint or varnish drying, the surface hardens while much of the interior remains soft.
2. The process of hardening the surface of steel that is used for tools and specialist purposes. It involves heating the steel in a hydrocarbon or by dipping the red-hot steel into molten sodium cyanide. A layer of nitrides can also be formed by the diffusion of nitrogen.