CONTUMACY

Source: 567

Con″tu‐ma‐cy (kŏn″tū̍‐mȧ‐sy̆), n.; pl. Contumacies (–sĭz). [[L. contumacia, fr. contumax, -acis, insolent; prob. akin to contemnere to despise: cf. F. contumace. Cf. Contemn.]] 1. 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. 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.