annul
UK: əˈnʌl | US: əˈnʌl
vt. to declare invalid or void; cancel officially
vt. to reduce to nothing; obliterate
annul = an<to> + nul<nothing>
- an<to>: A prefix derived from Latin ad- (meaning "to" or "toward"), often assimilated as an- before n.
- nul<nothing>: From Latin nullus (meaning "none" or "nothing"), retaining the core idea of negation.
Etymology Origin:
The word annul traces back to Latin annullare ("to reduce to nothing"), combining ad- (intensifying "to") and nullus ("nothing"). It entered Middle English via Old French annuler, preserving the legal and literal sense of voiding or canceling. The morphemes an- and nul- logically align with the action of negating or erasing validity.
The court decided to annul the contract due to fraud.
The marriage was annulled after evidence of coercion emerged.
The new law could annul decades of established regulations.
The committee voted to annul the controversial decision.
Time cannot annul the memories of such events.