/ ˌderəˈlɪkʃn; NAmE / noun ( formal )
1.
[ U ] the state of being derelict :
industrial / urban dereliction
a house in a state of dereliction
2.
[ U , sing. ] dereliction of duty ( formal or law ) the fact of deliberately not doing what you ought to do, especially when it is part of your job :
The police officers were found guilty of serious dereliction of duty .
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent.: from Latin derelictio(n-) , from the verb derelinquere , from de- completely + relinquere forsake.