Webster's English Dictionary

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anneal

an.neal \*-'ne-(*)l\ vt [ME anelen, fr. OE on-lan, fr. on + 
   |B-lan to set on fire, burn, fr. a-l fire; akin to OE a-d funeral pyre 
   - more at EDIFY 1: to heat (as glass) in order to fix laid-on colors  2: to 
   heat and then cool usu. for softening and rendering less brittle  3: 
   STRENGTHEN, TOUGHEN {was ~ed by hardship}