Disavow

To deny the authority by which an agent pretends to have acted as when he has exceeded the bounds of his authority.

It is the duty of the principal to fulfil the contracts which have been entered into by his authorized agent, and when an agent has exceeded his authority he ought promptly to disavow such act, so that the other party may have his remedy against the agent.
   

This entry contains material from Bouvier's Legal Dictionary, a work published in the 1850's.