Webster's 1828 Dictionary
SOFTENING
ppr. Making more soft; making less rough or cruel, etc.
SOFTENING
n.The act of making less hard, less cruel or obdurate, less violent, less glaring. etc.
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
SOFTENING
SOFTENING Sof "ten *ing, a. & n.
Defn: from Soften, v. Softening of the brain, or Cerebral softening (Med. ), a localized softening of the brain substance, due to hemorrhage or inflammation. Three varieties, distinguished by their color and representing different stages of the morbid process, are known respectively as red, yellow, and white, softening.
New American Oxford Dictionary
softening of the brain
soft en ing of the brain ▶noun informal or archaic mental deterioration, esp. senile dementia, supposedly resulting from degeneration of the brain tissue.
Oxford Dictionary
softening of the brain
soft ¦en |ing of the brain ▶noun [ mass noun ] informal or archaic mental deterioration, especially senile dementia, supposedly resulting from degeneration of the brain tissue.
The Wordsmith Dictionary