dereliction

/dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən/

Etymology

From Latin dērelictiō (“neglect, abandonment”), from dērelinquō (“to neglect, abandon”), from dē- + re- + linquō (“to leave”).

dereliction means Willful neglect of one's duty. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 79 out of 100.

Why this word is great

DERELICTION — [Noun] The willful neglect or abandonment, especially of a duty or responsibility. From Latin dērelictiō ("neglect, abandonment"), from dērelinquō ("to neglect, abandon"), from dē- ("completely") + relinquō ("to leave"). Unlike "neglect," which suggests passive carelessness, or "abandonment," which denotes a final leaving behind, dereliction carries the chill of a conscious, culpable turning away. It is the lighthouse keeper asleep at his post, the rusted padlock on a maintenance shed whose key was never lost, and the specific silence of a sentry who has walked quietly away. It is not merely absence, but a presence of failure—the haunting shape of what was pledged and then forsaken.

noun

Willful neglect of one's duty.“The new soldier did not clean his cabin and was scolded for dereliction and disobedience.”
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 affairs”
Land gained from the water by a change of water-line.