recusancy
9.9
Refusal to attend Church of England services, often by Catholics in the 1500s
- noun
- /ˈrɛkjusənsi/
- Archaic
:
recusación
- The law imposed heavy penalties for recusancy, especially among those who refused to attend Anglican services.
Examples
-
We already have a health care plan that sets up what amounts to recusancy fines.
Blog text (23) -
During the 17th century, acts of recusancy were often met with severe punishment in England.
-
Many Catholics faced persecution due to their recusancy during the Reformation, as they declined to conform to the Church of England.
Synonyms
2
8.8
Refusal to obey rules or cooperate with people in charge
is specific to refusing established religious authority in a historical context
9.7
Refusing to follow rules or orders
is focused on refusing established religious authority in a historical setting
Antonyms
How Resistant
rebellion
60
4.2
60
4.2
recusancy
- Archaic
noncompliance
7
7.7
7
7.7
to dissent
39
6.8
- Formal
39
6.8
compliance
171
5.0
171
5.0
Surface Forms
recusancy singular
recusancies plural
Morphology
Etymology
The word recusancy comes from the Latin verb recusare, which means 'to refuse', and it is like the English word refuse. So recusancy is the act of refusing to obey an official authority or to take part in an established church, especially when people would not attend the state church.