Contumacy
Pronunciation : Con"tu*ma*cy
Part of Speech : n.;
Etymology : [L. contumacia, fr. contumax, -acis, insolent; prob. akin to contemnere to despise: cf. F. contumace. Cf. Contemn.]
Definition : 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)
Defn: 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.
pl. Contumacies.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913