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delinquency

Pronunciation: /dɪˈlɪŋkw(ə)nsi/
Translate delinquency | into French | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of delinquency

noun (plural delinquencies)

[mass noun]
  • 1minor crime, especially that committed by young people:social causes of crime and delinquency
  • 2 formal neglect of one’s duty: he relayed this in such a manner as to imply grave delinquency on the host’s part
  • [count noun] chiefly US a failure to pay an outstanding debt by the due date.

Origin:

mid 17th century: from ecclesiastical Latin delinquentia, from Latin delinquent- 'offending' (see delinquent)

delinquency in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of delinquency in the US English dictionary

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