The term 'hard wear' can be defined as protective clothing or ARMOR. The two crossword solutions for this term are ARMOR (5 letters) and MAIL (4 letters). ARMOR is a type of protective clothing made from metal or other strong materials, such as leather or plastic, that is designed to protect the wearer from physical harm. MAIL is a type of ARMOR made from interlocking metal rings, which were historically used to protect soldiers in battle.