CONTUMACIOUS, adjective [Latin, to swell.]
1. Literally, swelling against; haughty. Hence, obstinate; perverse; stubborn; inflexible; unyielding; disobedient; as a contumacious child.
2. In law, wilfully disobedient to the orders of a court.
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Webster's Dictionary 1828
American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828.