hard water
3
3.8
- noun
- /hɑrd ˈwɔtər/
- Specialized
:
agua dura
- We have hard water, so I added more Borax, and our clothing has never been softer.
- hard-water deposits
- hard-water buildup
- hard-water area
Examples
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I know we have hard water; how would I adjust the recipe to compensate?
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We have really hard water, and our softener is acting up.
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I have really hard water and am looking into trying tip number 10.
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Or does anyone else with hard water have a better recipe I should use?
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Use more washing soda if you have extra hard water; use less if you have soft water.
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You mentioned that if you have very hard water or well water, you may have to adjust the recipes.
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Is there anything I should add to the detergent because of the hard water?
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We have hard water too, and a front loader, and that causes some challenges.
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Another common effect of very hard water is its inhibition of soap's ability to lather.
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In areas with hard water, soap does not lather well and can leave a residue on skin.
Antonyms
How Hard
- Specialized
3
3.8
- Specialized
1
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'hard' could lead a learner to infer 'not soft' when combined with 'water', so there is a partial, compositionally motivated link. However the specific technical sense (high calcium/magnesium content that prevents lathering) is a specialized, non-literal property that a B1 learner would not reliably infer from the constituents alone.
Etymology
The term hard water comes from an everyday image: hard water is water that has minerals in it which stop soap from making bubbles and leave hard white deposits on kettles, so the water is 'difficult to use' with soap. That's why hard water means water with a lot of calcium and magnesium that makes soap work poorly.