Definizione monolingua

refractory

refractory (plural refractories)

1. A material or piece of material, such as a brick, that has a very high melting point.

refractory (comparative more refractory, superlative most refractory)

1. Obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something.
   • 1787, Alexander Hamilton, “No. 16”, in The Federalist, published 1863, page 103:

     […] in most instances attempts to coerce the refractory and disobedient have been the signals of bloody wars, […]

   • 1836, Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, Chapter 26,

     Mr. Weller knocked at the door, and after a pretty long interval—occupied by the party without, in whistling a tune, and by the party within, in persuading a refractory flat candle to allow itself to be lighted […]

2. Not affected by great heat.
   • 1855, Frederick Overman, A Treatise on Metallurgy^[1], page 315:

     Pure lime is extremely refractory, but readily fusible if any silex is brought in contact with it; […]

3. (medicine) Difficult to treat.
   • 1949, Albert Fields and John Hoesley, ""Neck and Shoulder Pain"", Calif. Med., 70(6):478–482.,

     Many of the vague and refractory cases of neck and shoulder pain and of migraine may be due to cervical disc disease.

   • 1990, H. A. Ring et al, ""Vigabatrin: rational treatment for chronic epilepsy"", J. Neurol. Neurosurg.Psychiatry, 53(12):1051–1055,

     In 33 adult patients with long standing refractory epilepsy on treatment with one or two standard anti-convulsant drugs,

4. (biology) Incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus.
   • 1959, Nobusada Ishiko and Werner R. Loewenstein, ""Electrical output of a receptor membrane"", Science, 1959, 130:1405-6,

     The production of a generator potential leaves a refractory state in the receptor membrane […]

   • 1970, S.S. Barold et al, ""Chest wall stimulation in evaluation of patients with implanted ventricular-inhibited demand pacemakers"", Br. Heart J., 32(6):783–789,

     The […] delivery of external stimuli […] delineates the pacemaker refractory period after the emission of a pacing stimulus and after the sensing of a spontaneous beat.

Definizione dizionario refractory

	refrattario
	not affected by great heat
	material with a high melting point

ostinato

renitente

resistente

Altri significati:

Obstinate; strongly opposed

Not responding to treatment.

A material or piece of material, such as a brick, that has a very high melting point.

(medicine) Difficult to treat.

Obstinate and unruly.

Obstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something.

medicine: difficult to heal

Not affected by great heat.

(biology) Incapable of registering a reaction or stimulus.