refractories

Variant of refractory

refractory definition

re·frac·tory (ri frak′tər ē)

adjective

  1. hard to manage; stubborn; obstinate: said of a person or animal
  2. resistant to heat; hard to melt or work: said of ores or metals
    1. not yielding to treatment, as a disease
    2. able to resist disease

Etymology: altered < obs. refractary < L refractarius < refractus: see refract

noun pl. refractories -·ries

something refractory; specif., a heat-resistant material used in lining furnaces, etc.

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.