Emily Dickinson Lexicon

RE-FRACT'O-RY, a. [Fr. refractaire; refractarius, from refragor, to resist; re and fragor, from frango.]

1. 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.
2. Unmanageable; obstinately unyielding; as, a refractory beast.
3. Applied to metals, difficult of fusion; not easily yielding to the force of heat.