late 14c., "invalidate, make void, nullify;" from Anglo-French and Old French anuler "cancel, wipe out" (13c.) or directly from Late Latin annullare "to make to nothing," from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + nullum, neuter of nullus "nothing, none" (from PIE root *ne- "not"). Related: Annulled; annulling.
Proto-Indo-European root meaning "not."
It forms all or part of: a- (3) "not, without;" abnegate; ahimsa; an- (1) privative prefix; annihilate; annul; aught (n.2) "zero, nothing;" deny; hobnob; in- (1) "not, opposite of, without;" ixnay; naught; naughty; nay; nefarious; negate; neglect; negligee; negotiate; neither; nepenthe; nescience; nescient; neuter; never; nice; nihilism; nihility; nil; nill; nimiety; nix; no; non-; none; nonplus; nor; not; nothing; null; nullify; nulliparous; renegade; renege; un- (1) prefix of negation; willy-nilly.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit a-, an- "not;" Avestan na "not;" Greek a-, an-, ne- "not;" Latin in- "not," ne "that not;" Old Church Slavonic and Lithuanian ne "not;" Old Irish an-, ni, Cornish ny "not;" Gothic and Old English un- "not."
"to vacate, annul, make void," 1510s, from Late Latin cassatus, past participle of cassare, from Latin quassare "annul, quash" (see quash). Related: Cassated; cassating.
"dismiss from an office or place of trust," 1590s, from Middle Dutch casseren, kaseeren "to cast off, discharge," from French casser "to discharge, annul," from Late Latin cassare "annul," from Latin cassus "void, empty" (from extended form of PIE root *kes- "to cut"). Related: Cashiered; cashiering.
"abrogate, annul, or revoke by authority, repeal," 1630s, from French rescinder "cancel; cut off" (15c.), and directly from Latin rescindere "annul, cancel, abolish, remove by cutting off," from re- "back" (see re-) + scindere "to cut, rend, tear asunder, split; split up, part, divide, separate" (from PIE *skind-, from root *skei- "to cut, split"). Related: Rescinded; rescinding.
"to reduce or annul the value of," 1918, a back-formation from devaluation. The earlier verb was devaluate (1898). Related: Devalued; devaluing.
"anullment, act of cancelling," early 15c., from Old French cassation, from casser, from Late Latin cassare, from Latin quassare "annul, quash" (see quash).
1640s, "to make void, to annul," from Latin vacatus, past participle of vacare "be empty, be void," from PIE *wak-, extended form of root *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out." Meaning "to leave, give up, quit" (a place) is attested from 1791. Related: Vacated; vacating.
late 14c., repēlen, "revoke, rescind, annul; withdraw (a privilege, etc.); repudiate (one's behavior)," from Anglo-French repeler (mid-14c.), Old French rapeler "call back, call in, call after, revoke" (Modern French rappeler), from re- "back" (see re-) + apeler "to call" (later appeler; see appeal (v.)). Related: Repealed; repealing; repealable.
