a. Also 7 -atious. [f. L. contumāci- (contumāx); see CONTUMAX and -ACIOUS.]
1. Contemning and obstinately resisting authority; stubbornly perverse, insubordinate, rebellious. (of persons and their actions.)
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1621), 997. Their Turcoman nation … were grown verie contumatious.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., II. ii. § 81. His contumacious Company-keeping (contrary to his Confessours command) with an Excommunicated Count.
1772. Hist. Rochester, 127. To reduce the contumacious monks to obedience.
1829. I. Taylor, Enthus., x. 291. That spirit of contumacious scrupulosity which is the parent of schism.
† b. Of diseases: Not readily yielding to treatment, stubborn. Obs.
1605. Timme, Quersit., III. 152. Contumacious sicknesses.
1684. trans. Bonet’s Merc. Compit., VIII. 263. In contumacious Diseases.
2. Law. Willfully disobedient to the summons or order of a court.
a. 1600. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., VI. iv. § 1. Contumacious persons which refuse to obey their sentence.
1726. Ayliffe, Parerg., 190. He is in Law said to be a contumacious Person, who, on his Appearance afterwards, departs the Court without leave.
1823. Lingard, Hist. Eng., VI. 202. On her refusal to appear in person or by her attorney, she was pronounced contumacious.
1859. Hawthorne, Fr. & It. Jrnls., II. 282. Contumacious prisoners were put to a dreadful torture.
Hence Contumaciously adv., Contumaciousness.
1626. J. Pory, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 333, III. 243. They contumaciously refused to go.
1654. Codrington, trans. Hist. Ivstine, 219. Having their contumaciousness punish’d with a Pestilence.
1675. trans. Machiavelli’s Prince (Rtldg. 1883), 286. The clients are contumaciously litigious.
1676. Wiseman, Chirurg. Treat., I. xxv. 138. The difficulty and contumaciousness of Cure [of elephantiasis].
1841. Macaulay, W. Hastings, Ess. (1854), II. 645. Imposing a fine when that assistance was contumaciously withheld.
1887. Spectator, 28 May, 723. Various delays in deciding upon his contumaciousness.
