= contumacious, adj.

Become ‘contumacious’: cf. contumace, adj. (for which it may be an error).

Of a disease or condition: resistant to treatment; = rebellious, adj. 3. Obsolete. rare.

Of a (case of) disease or other medical condition: †not yielding readily to treatment, stubborn (obsolete); (in later use) unpredictable or anomalous…

Of a disease or condition: resistant to treatment; refractory. Now rare.

Of a state or thing: persistent, continuing; spec. (of a disease) resistant to treatment. Obsolete.

Of diseases: Not readily yielding to treatment, stubborn. Obsolete.

figurative from 2 3: †‘Imperious’, stern and rough (obsolete); (of soil, etc.) obstinate, refractory, intractable; (of weather, etc.) rough and…

Medicine. (Of a wound, disease, infection, etc.) difficult or impossible to cure; not responsive to (a particular) treatment; (of a patient) having…

Of an ailment: Refractory to treatment. Obsolete.

Pathology. That cannot be reduced by treatment to a desired form or condition.