Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “annul” come from?

Annul comes from Middle English annullen, from Old French anuller, from Latin annullare, formed from the prefix ad- and nullus meaning "not any," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ád and óynos.

annul (English): To formally revoke the validity of; To dissolve ...

Definitions

  1. To formally revoke the validity of; To dissolve ...

Ancestry of “annul”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishannullen—
2Old Frenchanullerto consider invalid or annuled
3Latinannullō—
4Latinad-to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
5Latinīn-—
6Latinîn—
7Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
8Proto-Italicenin
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “annul”

  • annulment
  • disannul
  • annuler
  • annullable
  • annulleth
  • annullability
  • annuller
  • disannulment
  • disannuller
  • annullest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →