contumacy Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun willful refusal to appear before a court or comply with a court order; can result in a finding of contempt of court
  2. noun obstinate rebelliousness and insubordination; resistance to authority

WordNet

Con"tu*ma*cy noun
Etymology
L. contumacia, fr. contumax, -acis, insolent; prob. akin to contemnere to despise: cf. F. contumace. Cf. Contemn.
Wordforms
plural Contumacies
Definitions
  1. Stubborn perverseness; pertinacious resistance to authority.
    The bishop commanded him . . . to be thrust into the stocks for his manifest and manifold contumacy. Strype.
  2. (Law) A willful contempt of, and disobedience to, any lawful summons, or to the rules and orders of court, as a refusal to appear in court when legally summoned. Syn. -- Stubbornness; perverseness; obstinacy.

Webster 1913