The act of disowning someone; the rejection of someone as family or the refusal to accept responsibility for something.
From disown + -ment (a suffix creating nouns from verbs). The -ment suffix turns the action of disowning into a noun representing that action or state.
Legal documents from the 1800s use 'disownment' to describe when wealthy parents formally rejected children—it was a binding legal act with real consequences!
Legal concept historically controlled by male heads of household. Mothers had limited or no authority to formally disown children.
Use when discussing formal family rupture without assuming gender roles dictate who can disown.
["family severance","formal renunciation of kinship"]
Women were often excluded from this legal authority; contemporary usage should be gender-neutral.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.