D defs.my
Entry 2 senses Webster, 1913

Stiffening

· Stiff·en·ing · IPA /stˈɪfənɪŋ/
01 n. Act or process of making stiff.
  1. 1.
    Act or process of making stiff.
  2. 2.
    Something used to make anything stiff.
Phrases & compounds
Stiffening order — 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.