defection • \di-ˈfek-shən\ • noun
1. withdrawing support or help despite allegiance or responsibility
2. the state of having rejected your religious beliefs or your political party or a cause (often in favor of opposing beliefs or causes)
The word defection has appeared in 51 New York Times articles in the past year, including on Feb. 21 in “London Mayor Joins Chorus Demanding Exit From E.U.” by Steven Erlanger:
LONDON — Prime Minister David Cameron faced another jarring reminder of the country’s deep divisions over whether Britain should stay in the European Union on Sunday when Mayor Boris Johnson of London, a fellow Conservative and one of the party’s most popular figures, announced that he would join the forces campaigning to exit the bloc.
Mr. Johnson’s defection highlighted the scale of the challenge Mr. Cameron faces in overcoming his country’s entrenched ambivalence about its ties to the Continent before Britons vote in or out in a referendum set for June 23.
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