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

3. : the act of abandoning a contract

4. 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