abandonment

noun | aban·don·ment
  1. a : failure to have contact with a spouse that is intended to create a permanent separation

    b : the affirmative defense (as recognized under the Model Penal Code) of voluntary withdrawal from the commission of a crime resulting from the actor's change of heart and not from intervening circumstances

    c : relinquishment of a trademark established by a failure to use the trademark and an intention never to resume use

    d : the act of an insured in surrendering all rights to damaged or lost property to an insurer as a total loss — compare salvage 2b

    e : relinquishment by a trustee in bankruptcy of interest in property in the bankruptcy estate often for a nominal sum

    a : failure to have contact with a spouse that is intended to create a permanent separation

    b : failure to communicate with or provide financial support for one's child over a period of time that shows a purpose to forgo parental duties and rights

  1. : the act of abandoning a contract

  1. a : the act of abandoning a course of action (as a crime)

    b : the affirmative defense (as recognized under the Model Penal Code) of voluntary withdrawal from the commission of a crime resulting from the actor's change of heart and not from intervening circumstances