re·frac·to·ry \\ri-ˈfrak-t(ə-)rē\\ adjective ETYMOLOGY alteration of refractary, from Latin refractarius, irregular from refragari to oppose, from re- + -fragari (as in suffragari to support with one's vote)
DATE 1606
1. resisting control or authority : stubborn
, unmanageable2.
a. resistant to treatment or cure
a refractory lesion
b. unresponsive to stimulus
c. immune
, insusceptible
after recovery they were refractory to infection3. difficult to fuse, corrode, or draw out; especially : capable of enduring high temperatureSynonyms: see unruly
•
re·frac·to·ri·ly \\-t(ə-)rə-lē; ˌrē-ˌfrak-ˈtȯr-ə-lē, ri-\\
adverb
•
re·frac·to·ri·ness \\ri-ˈfrak-t(ə-)rē-nəs\\
nounnoun
(
plural -ries)
DATE 1627
: a refractory person or thing;
especially : a heat-resisting ceramic material
Search result show the entry is found in:
refractory clay
, or
refractory period
, or
refractory rock
, or
refractory ware
, or
refractory phase
re·frac·to·ryI. \rə̇ˈfrakt(ə)rē, rēˈf-, -)ri\
adjectiveEtymology: alteration (influenced by
-ory) of
refractary1. : resisting control or authority
: stubborn
,
unmanageable
,
perverse
< to persuade her refractory daughter to agree to the propriety of what she was going to do — Anthony Trollope >
< bold attempts to reduce refractory material to poetic treatment — F.B.Millett >
< the boy was solitary and refractory to all education save that of wide and desultory reading — F.J.Mather >2.
a. : resistant to treatment or cure
< a refractory fulminating lesion >
b. : unresponsive to stimulus
< the refractory period of a muscle fiber >
c. : resistant or not responding to an infectious agent
: immune
,
insusceptible
< after recovery the animals were completely refractory to reinfection >3. : resisting treatment under ordinary or various extraordinary conditions
: difficult to fuse, corrode, reduce, or draw out
< refractory ore >
< refractory metals >especially : capable of enduring or resisting high temperature
< refractory clays >
< refractory brick >
< refractory mortar >Synonyms: see unruly
II. noun
(
-es)
1. obsolete : a refractory person
2. : a refractory material: as
a. : any of various nonmetallic ceramic substances that are characterized especially by their suitability for use as structural materials at high temperatures usually in contact with metals, slags, glass, or other corrosive materials (as in furnaces, crucibles, or saggers), that are classified chemically as acid (as silica and fireclay), basic (as magnesite and dolomite), or neutral (as high-alumina refractories, carbon, and silicon carbide), and that are produced in the form of brick and other shapes, finely ground cementing materials, castable concretes, plastics, and granular materials in bulk