Disannul

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To declare something null and void so that it no longer has any legal or binding effect
2. To cancel or nullify an agreement, law, or decision so that it is treated as though it never existed
3. Making something invalid and ending its force, especially a contract, marriage, or official order

Etymology: "Disannul" is a plain formation: the prefix "dis-" added to "annul," which means it was built inside English rather than borrowed whole. The prefix "dis-" carries a sense of reversal or undoing, so the verb means to undo an annulment, or more broadly to cancel something so that it no longer holds legal force. The base word "annul" traces back to Latin "annullare," formed from "ad-" and "nullus," meaning "none" or "not any," so to annul is to reduce something to nothing. Adding "dis-" to a word already meaning "make void" produces a doubled sense of unmaking. The result is a word that sounds grander than its parts suggest, but its construction is simple and transparent once the two pieces are visible.

Synonyms: annul, void, cancel, invalidate, nullify

Antonyms: validate, ratify, confirm, enact