English Dictionary: refractory | by the DICT Development Group |
3 results for refractory | |
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Refractory \Re*frac"to*ry\ (-r?), a. [L. refractorius, fr. refringere: cf. F. refractaire. See {Refract}.] 1. Obstinate in disobedience; contumacious; stubborn; unmanageable; as, a refractory child; a refractory beast. Raging appetites that are Most disobedient and refractory. --Shak. 2. Resisting ordinary treatment; difficult of fusion, reduction, or the like; -- said especially of metals and the like, which do not readily yield to heat, or to the hammer; as, a refractory ore. Syn: Perverse; contumacious; unruly; stubborn; obstinate; unyielding; ungovernable; unmanageable. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Refractory \Re*frac"to*ry\, n. 1. A refractory person. --Bp. Hall. 2. Refractoriness. [Obs.] --Jer. TAylor. 3. OPottery) A piece of ware covered with a vaporable flux and placed in a kiln, to communicate a glaze to the other articles. --Knight. |