Recusant

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Recusant \Re*cu"sant\, n.
     1. One who is obstinate in refusal; one standing out
        stubbornly against general practice or opinion.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The last rebellious recusants among the European


              family of nations.                    --De Quincey.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Eng. Hist.) A person who refuses to acknowledge the
        supremacy of the king in matters of religion; as, a Roman
        Catholic recusant, who acknowledges the supremacy of the
        pope. --Brande & C.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. One who refuses communion with the Church of England; a
        nonconformist.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              All that are recusants of holy rites. --Holyday.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Recusant \Re*cu"sant\ (-zat; 277), a.[L. recusans, -antis, p.
     pr. of recure to refuse, to oject to; pref. re- re + causa a
     cause, pretext: cf. F. r['e]cusant. See {Cause}, and cf.
     {Ruse}.]
     Obstinate in refusal; specifically, in English history,
     refusing to acknowledge the supremacy of the king in the
     churc, or to conform to the established rites of the church;
     as, a recusant lord.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           It stated him to have placed his son in the household
           of the Countess of Derby, a recusant papist. --Sir W.
                                                    Scott.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  recusant
       adj 1: (of Catholics formerly) refusing to attend services of the
              Church of England [syn: {dissentient}]
       2: refusing to submit to authority; "the recusant
          electors...cooperated in electing a new Senate"- Mary
          W.Williams
       n : someone who refuses to conform to established standards of
           conduct [syn: {nonconformist}] [ant: {conformist}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  43 Moby Thesaurus words for "recusant":
     alienated, antiestablishment, at odds with, at variance with,
     breakaway, contrary, counter-culture, deviant, differing,
     disagreeing, disobedient, dissentient, dissenting, dissident,
     froward, in opposition, indisciplined, lawless, naughty,
     nonconformable, nonconforming, nonobservant, obstinate, opposing,
     recalcitrant, refractory, sectarian, sectary, self-willed,
     transgressive, unadaptable, unadjustable, uncompliant, uncomplying,
     unconforming, underground, undisciplined, unduteous, undutiful,
     unsubmissive, violative, wayward, willful