refractory - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Latin refractārius (“obstinate”), from refractus, past participle of refringere (“to break up”). Originally refractary, refractarie, but reanalysed after other adjectives in -ory.

refractory (comparative more refractory, superlative most refractory)

  1. Obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something.
    Synonyms: (inanimates) contrary, fractious; see also Thesaurus:obstinate
    • 1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, “Chapter 26”, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC:
      Mr. Weller knocked at the door, and after a pretty long interval—occupied by the party without, in whistling a tune, and by the party within, in persuading a refractory flat candle to allow itself to be lighted […]
    • 1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 8, in Pollyanna‎[1], L.C. Page, →OCLC:
      For five minutes Pollyanna worked swiftly, deftly, combing a refractory curl into fluffiness, perking up a drooping ruffle at the neck, or shaking a pillow into plumpness so that the head might have a better pose. Meanwhile the sick woman, frowning prodigiously, and openly scoffing at the whole procedure, was, in spite of herself, beginning to tingle with a feeling perilously near to excitement.
  2. Not affected by great heat.
    Synonyms: heat-resistant, fireproof
    • 1855, Frederick Overman, A Treatise on Metallurgy‎[2], page 315:
      Pure lime is extremely refractory, but readily fusible if any silex is brought in contact with it; […]
  3. (medicine) Resistant to treatment; not responding adequately to therapy.
    • 1949, Albert Fields, John Hoesley, “Neck and Shoulder Pain”, in Calif. Med., 70(6):478-482:
      Many of the vague and refractory cases of neck and shoulder pain and of migraine may be due to cervical disc disease.
  4. (biology) Incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus.

obstinate; strongly opposed

not affected by great heat

medicine: difficult to heal

biology: incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus

refractory (plural refractories)

  1. A material or piece of material, such as a brick, that has a very high melting point.
  2. A plant or factory that produces such material.

material with a high melting point