Countermand

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌkaʊntəˈmɑːnd/

Definitions

1. An order or instruction that reverses or cancels a previous command or directive that had already been given
2. to revoke or cancel a previously issued order or directive by issuing a new conflicting instruction
3. to nullify an earlier command through the issuance of a superseding contrary order

Etymology: "Countermand" is a compound built from two Latin elements: "contra," meaning "against" or "opposite," and "mando," meaning "to order" or "to command." The Latin pair passed into Medieval Latin as "contramandō," a term for revoking an order, and from there into Old French as "contremander." English borrowed the word from that Old French form, so the verb carries its original sense of an order issued against an earlier one. The prefix does most of the work. An order is reversed by sending a contrary command in its place, which is exactly what the word describes. The core verb "mando" also gave English "mandate," so the two words share a root even though they took very different paths.

Synonyms: revoke, cancel, overrule, withdraw, annul

Antonyms: confirm, approve, allow, authorize, ratify