refractoriness en · NOUN
Etymology
Etymology tree English refractory Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English refractoriness From refractory + -ness.
Meanings
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(uncountable) The quality of being refractory.
2001, Oliver Sacks, Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood, Alfred A. Knopf (2001), 8, Uncle loved the desnsity of the tungsten he made, and its refractoriness, its great chemical stability.