Con"tu*ma*cy (?), n.; pl. Contumacies (#). [L. contumacia, fr. contumax, -acis, insolent; prob. akin to contemnere to despise: cf. F. contumace. Cf. Contemn.] 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.

• disobedience, asserting authority