Standard Lemma guide

hardtack

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A large, hard biscuit made from unleavened flour and water; formerly used as a long-term staple food aboard ships.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: nautical, transport

Examples

  • Meronym: reefer's nut

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pilot biscuit, pilot bread, sea biscuit, sea bread, ship's biscuit, ship biscuit, ship bread, Anzac wafer, sheet iron, tooth duller, worm castle

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tack, biscuit, bread

2

noun

Meaning 2

very hard unsalted biscuit or bread; a former ship's staple

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pilot biscuit, pilot bread, sea biscuit, ship biscuit

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: biscuit

3

noun

Meaning 3

a mountain mahogany

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mahogany, mahogany tree

History

Etymology

From hard + tack.

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: галета (haljeta) — hard biscuit
  • Bulgarian: сухар (suhar) — hard biscuit
  • Catalan: galeta de mar — hard biscuit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 硬麵餅 /硬面饼 (yìng miànbǐng) — hard biscuit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 硬麵包 /硬面包 (yìng miànbāo) — hard biscuit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 壓縮餅乾 /压缩饼干 (yāsuō bǐnggān) — hard biscuit
  • Czech: suchar — hard biscuit
  • Dutch: scheepsbeschuit — hard biscuit
  • Dutch: zeebeschuit — hard biscuit
  • Dutch: zeekaak — hard biscuit
  • Dutch: tweebak — hard biscuit
  • Esperanto: marbiskvito — hard biscuit
  • Estonian: kuivik — hard biscuit
  • Finnish: laivakorppu — hard biscuit
  • French: biscuit de mer — hard biscuit
  • French: galette — hard biscuit
  • German: Hartkeks — hard biscuit
  • German: Schiffszwieback — hard biscuit
  • German: Zwieback — hard biscuit
  • Hebrew: פכסם (pakhsam) — hard biscuit
  • Hebrew: מַצִּיָּה (matsiya) — hard biscuit
  • Hebrew: פַּכְסַם מַלָּחִים (pakhsam malakhim) — hard biscuit
  • Hungarian: tengerészkeksz — hard biscuit
  • Hungarian: kétszersült — hard biscuit
  • Ido: navala bisquito — hard biscuit
  • Inupiaq: qaqqulaaq — hard biscuit
  • Inupiaq: qaqquliktaq — hard biscuit
  • Italian: galletta — hard biscuit
  • Japanese: 堅パン (katapan) — hard biscuit
  • Japanese: 乾パン (kanpan) — hard biscuit
  • Korean: 건빵 (geonppang) — hard biscuit
  • Latin: bucellatum — hard biscuit
  • Persian: بیسکویت دریایی (biskuit daryâyi) — hard biscuit
  • Polish: suchar — hard biscuit
  • Portuguese: biscoito de bordo — hard biscuit
  • Portuguese: biscoito de navio — hard biscuit
  • Portuguese: biscoito do mar — hard biscuit
  • Russian: суха́рь (suxárʹ) — hard biscuit
  • Spanish: galleta náutica — hard biscuit
  • Swedish: skeppsskorpa — hard biscuit
  • Swedish: hårdskorpa — hard biscuit
  • Swedish: rågskorpa — hard biscuit
  • Turkish: peksimet — hard biscuit
  • Ukrainian: галета (haleta) — hard biscuit