Stiffening
Pronunciation : Stiff"en*ing
Part of Speech : n.
Definition : 1. Act or process of making stiff.
2. Something used to make anything stiff. Stiffening order (Com.), a permission granted by the customs department to take cargo or ballast on board before the old cargo is out, in order to steady the ship.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913