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| re·frac·to·ry [ ri fráktəree ] |
adjective |
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| Definition: |
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1. uncontrollable: stubborn, rebellious, and uncontrollable
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2. physics industry heat-resistant: resistant to high temperatures and therefore not easily melted or worked
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3. medicine not responsive to treatment: unresponsive to medical treatment
  a refractory infection
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4. medicine disease-resistant: resistant to infection or disease
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5. physiology unresponsive to stimulus: not able to respond to a stimulus
a refractory nerve
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noun |
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| Definition: |
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industry physics highly heat-resistant material: a material that is able to withstand high temperatures without melting, e.g. the fire clay used to line furnaces
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| [Early 17th century. Variant of refractary< Latin refractarius "stubborn" < refract- (see refract)] |
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| re·frac·to·ri·ness noun |
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