Pronunciation: ə - ' n ī - ə - ˌ l ā t
Function: verb
Inflected Form: -lat · ed ; -lat · ing
Etymology: Late Latin annihilatus, past participle of annihilare to reduce to nothing, from Latin ad- + nihil nothing ― more at NIL
Date: 1525
transitive verb
1 a : to cause to be of no effect : NULLIFY b : to destroy the substance or force of
2 : to regard as of no consequence
3 : to cause to cease to exist especially : KILL
4 a : to destroy a considerable part of <bombs annihilated the city> : to vanquish completely : ROUT < annihilated the visitors 56-0>
5 : to cause (a particle and its antiparticle) to vanish by annihilating
intransitive verb of a particle and its antiparticle : to vanish or cease to exist by coming together and changing into other forms of energy (as photons)
– an · ni · hi · la · tion \ - ˌ n ī - ə - ' l ā -sh ə n \ noun
– an · ni · hi · la · tor \ - ˌ l ā -t ə r \ noun
– an · ni · hi · la · to · ry \ - ' n ī - ə -l ə - ˌ to ̇ r- ē \ adjective