Abandonment

noun

1. The act of abandoning, or the state of being abandoned; absolute relinquishment; total desertion.
2. Abandon; enthusiasm; freedom from constraint.
3. In law: The relinquishment of a possession, privilege, or claim.
4. The voluntary leaving of a person to whom one is bound by a relationship of obligation, as a wife, husband, or child; desertion.
5. In maritime law, the surrender of a ship and freight by the owner to one who has become his creditor through contracts made by the latter with the master of the ship. In effect such an abandonment may release the owner from further responsibility.