dereliction
nounUS, UK /dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən/
Etymology From Latin dērelictiō (“neglect, abandonment”), from dērelinquō (“to neglect, abandon”), from dē- + re- + linquō (“to leave”).
1
Willful neglect of one's duty.
- The new soldier did not clean his cabin and was scolded for dereliction and disobedience.
- What he did was a terrible dereliction of duty.
2 more examples
- […] there on the table were the uncleared remains of Thursday's lunch, plain evidence of someone's dereliction.1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London:
- And his final act—leaving the Watch to accompany Tormund and the Wildlings back into the woods North of the wall—no longer seems like a dereliction of duty. It’s the recovery of duty, found by a man who feels he betrayed his queen, who thinks there’s no longer a place for him in these lands.2019 May 19, Alex McLevy, “The final Game Of Thrones brings a pensive but simple meditation about stories (newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 22 May 2019:
2
The act of abandoning something, or the state of being abandoned.
- To this we must contend with prayer , with actual dereliction and seposition of all our other affairs1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Francis Ashe […], →OCLC:
- There is much sad evidence, too, of the spoliation and dereliction of vanished industry: tips, slag-heaps and derelict colliery-screens among which the ubiquitous, nomad mountain sheep graze unconcernedly.1955 July, D. S. Barrie, “Railways of the Bridgend District”, in Railway Magazine, page 449:
1 more example
- After years of unsympathetic commercial use and dereliction, nothing of note remained inside, which accordingly has been reconfigured with modern amenities such as underfloor heating.2021 December 15, Robin Leleux, “Awards honour the best restoration projects: The Network Rail Community Award: Saltash and Stow”, in RAIL, number 946, page 58:
3
Land gained from the water by a change of water-line.
- Related terms
- derelict, relinquish