Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Annealing \An*neal"ing\, n.
   1. The process used to render glass, iron, etc., less
      brittle, performed by allowing them to cool very gradually
      from a high heat.

   2. The burning of metallic colors into glass, earthenware,
      etc.

Anneal \An*neal"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Annealed}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Annealing}.] [OE. anelen to heat, burn, AS. an?lan; an on
   + ?lan to burn; also OE. anelen to enamel, prob. influenced
   by OF. neeler, nieler, to put a black enamel on gold or
   silver, F. nieller, fr. LL. nigellare to blacken, fr. L.
   nigellus blackish, dim. of niger black. Cf. {Niello},
   {Negro}.]
   1. To subject to great heat, and then cool slowly, as glass,
      cast iron, steel, or other metal, for the purpose of
      rendering it less brittle; to temper; to toughen.

   2. To heat, as glass, tiles, or earthenware, in order to fix
      the colors laid on them.

Source : WordNet®

annealing
     n : hardening something by heat treatment [syn: {tempering}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

annealing
     
        {simulated annealing}