an|neal´er

an|neal «uh NEEL», transitive verb.

1. to make (glass or metals) less brittle by heating and then cooling; temper: »

For example, an alloy when cast is usually inhomogeneous and must be annealed at a high temperature, so that the atoms can diffuse to give it a uniform composition throughout (Science News).

2. Figurative. to toughen or harden (the human will, mental attributes, or the like): »

... the mind to strengthen and anneal (Sir Walter Scott).

3. Molecular Biology. to link up or reconnect complementary sequences of (DNA or RNA molecules): »

The DNA…was also separated into single strands by heating, and the resulting single strands were then “annealed” with the cellular DNA at a lower temperature (Scientific American).

4. Archaic. to heat (glass or metals) in order to fix colors.

╂[Old English an < an- on + burn]

–an|neal´er, noun.