abandonment Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the act of giving something up
    desertion; forsaking.
  2. noun withdrawing support or help despite allegiance or responsibility
    desertion; defection.
    • his abandonment of his wife and children left them penniless
  3. noun the voluntary surrender of property (or a right to property) without attempting to reclaim it or give it away

WordNet

A*ban"don*ment noun
Etymology
Cf. F. abandonnement.
Definitions
  1. The act of abandoning, or the state of being abandoned; total desertion; relinquishment.
    The abandonment of the independence of Europe. Burke.
  2. (Mar. Law) The relinquishment by the insured to the underwriters of what may remain of the property insured after a loss or damage by a peril insured against.
  3. (Com. Law) (a) The relinquishment of a right, claim, or privilege, as to mill site, etc. (b) The voluntary leaving of a person to whom one is bound by a special relation, as a wife, husband, or child; desertion.
  4. Careless freedom or ease; abandon. R. Carlyle.

Webster 1913