temporary hardness: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1/C2technical/scientific
Quick answer
What does “temporary hardness” mean?
A type of water hardness caused by dissolved bicarbonate minerals (calcium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate) that can be removed by boiling the water.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A type of water hardness caused by dissolved bicarbonate minerals (calcium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate) that can be removed by boiling the water.
In chemistry and water treatment, the component of water hardness that precipitates as scale (usually calcium carbonate) when water is heated, as opposed to permanent hardness caused by sulfates and chlorates.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences; concept is identical in both technical communities.
Connotations
Neutral technical term in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency outside chemistry, engineering, and plumbing contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “temporary hardness” in a Sentence
The temporary hardness of [water source] is [measurement].[Process] removes/eliminates temporary hardness.Temporary hardness is caused by [mineral].Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “temporary hardness” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- Boiling the water will temporarily harden it? No, it removes the temporary hardness.
- You can soften water by eliminating its temporary hardness.
American English
- The system is designed to deal with the temporary hardness that builds up in the pipes.
- We need to address the temporary hardness before it causes scaling.
adverb
British English
- The water was temporarily hard? (Incorrect standard usage; the term is a compound noun).
- Not used adverbially.
American English
- Not used as an adverb.
adjective
British English
- The temporary-hardness component is responsible for kettle scale.
- A temporary-hardness test was conducted on the borehole water.
American English
- The temporary-hardness issue is more prevalent in groundwater sources.
- They installed a system to combat the temporary-hardness problem.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in businesses dealing with water treatment, boiler maintenance, or appliance manufacturing where scaling is a cost factor.
Academic
Common in chemistry, environmental science, and engineering textbooks and papers discussing water quality.
Everyday
Very rare; most non-specialists simply refer to 'hard water' or 'limescale'.
Technical
Standard term in chemistry, plumbing, water treatment, and process engineering.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “temporary hardness”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “temporary hardness”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “temporary hardness”
- Using 'temporary' to describe hard water that comes and goes seasonally (incorrect).
- Confusing it with general 'water hardness'.
- Using it as a countable noun (e.g., 'a temporary hardness').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. In aquarium science, General Hardness (GH) measures mainly calcium and magnesium ions, which include both temporary and permanent hardness. Temporary hardness is a subset of GH.
Yes, it can also be removed by adding lime (calcium hydroxide) in a process called lime softening, which causes the bicarbonate to precipitate out.
It is primarily caused by dissolved calcium bicarbonate (Ca(HCO3)2) and magnesium bicarbonate (Mg(HCO3)2).
Yes, like all hardness, it reacts with soap to form scum, reducing lathering. Removing temporary hardness improves soap efficiency.
A type of water hardness caused by dissolved bicarbonate minerals (calcium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate) that can be removed by boiling the water.
Temporary hardness is usually technical/scientific in register.
Temporary hardness: in British English it is pronounced /ˈtem.pər.ər.i ˈhɑːd.nəs/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈtem.pəˌrer.i ˈhɑːrd.nəs/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: Temporary = can be taken away (by boiling). Hardness that isn't permanent. It's 'temporary' because heating the water makes it go away.
Conceptual Metaphor
HARDNESS IS A SOLID SUBSTANCE / IMPURITY (that can be removed).
Practice
Quiz
How is temporary hardness primarily removed from water?