de·sue·tude /'de-swi-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd; di-'sü-ə-ˌtüd/ n [Latin desuetudo disuse, from desuescere to lose the habit of]: a doctrine holding that a statute may be abrogated because of its long disuse
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.