Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - neglect

 I. transitive verb  Etymology: Latin ~us, past participle of neglegere, neclegere, from nec- not (akin to ne- not) + legere to gather — more at no, legend  Date: 1529  1. to give little attention or respect to ; disregard  2. to leave undone or unattended to especially through carelessness  • ~er noun Synonyms:  ~, disregard, ignore, overlook, slight, forget mean to pass over without giving due attention. ~ implies giving insufficient attention to something that merits one's attention habitually ~ed his studies. disregard suggests voluntary inattention disregarded the wishes of his family. ignore implies a failure to regard something obvious ignored the snide remark. overlook suggests disregarding or ignoring through haste or lack of care in my rush I overlooked a key example. slight implies contemptuous or disdainful disregarding or omitting slighted several major authors in her survey. forget may suggest either a willful ignoring or a failure to impress something on one's mind forget what others say.  II. noun  Date: 1588  1. an act or instance of ~ing something  2. the condition of being ~ed