refractory: Meaning and Definition of

re•frac•to•ry

1. hard or impossible to manage; stubbornly disobedient: a refractory child.
2. resisting ordinary methods of treatment.
3. difficult to fuse, reduce, or work, as an ore or metal.

1. a material having the ability to retain its physical shape and chemical identity when subjected to high temperatures.
2. bricks of various shapes used in lining furnaces.