Main Entry: hard core

Function: noun

Date: 1936

1 : a central or fundamental and usually enduring group or part: as a : a relatively small enduring core of society marked by apparent resistance to change or inability to escape a persistent wretched condition (as poverty or chronic unemployment) b : a militant or fiercely loyal faction
2usually hard·core \-ˌkōr, -ˌkȯr\ chiefly British : hard material in pieces (as broken bricks or stone) used as a bottom (as in making roads and in foundations)