Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CON'TU-MA-CY, n. [L. contumacia.]

1. Stubborness; unyielding obstinacy; inflexibility. – Milton.
2. In law, a willful contempt and disobedience to any lawful summons or order of court; a refusal to appear in court when legally summoned, or disobedience to its rules and orders. – Ayliffe.