What does "negligence" mean?

Negligence is the failure to take care of a responsibility or the failure to exercise proper care and safety when performing a specific task. For example, not watering a house plant for weeks when it is up to you to do so and allowing it to die would be negligence.

The law has gone even further when defining negligence. Criminal negligence is a failure to reasonably foresee circumstances that lead to an injury or loss. Gross negligence is serious carelessness while in the act of doing something. Professional negligence covers situations such as medical malpractice when a professional fails to meet the accepted legal standards of practice.