%contumacy%

n.; pl. Contumacies /plu>. [ L. contumacia, fr. contumax, -acis, insolent; prob. akin to contemnere to despise: cf. F. contumace. Cf. Contemn. ] 1. Stubborn perverseness; pertinacious resistance to authority. [ 1913 Webster ]

The bishop commanded him . . . to be thrust into the stocks for his manifest and manifold contumacy. Strype. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]