Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Definition for RE-FRACT'O-RY
RE-FRACT'O-RI-NESSRE-FRACT'O-RY
RE-FRACT'O-RY, a. [Fr. refractaire; refractarius, from refragor, to resist; re and fragor, from frango.]
- Sullen or perverse in opposition or disobedience; obstinate in non-compliance; as, a refractory child; a refractory servant. Raging appetites that are / Most disobedient and refractory. – Shak.
- Unmanageable; obstinately unyielding; as, a refractory beast.
- Applied to metals, difficult of fusion; not easily yielding to the force of heat.
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