annihilate

Main Entry:: an·ni·hi·late
Pronunciation:: \ə-ˈnī-ə-ˌlāt\
Function:: verb
Inflected Form(s):: an·ni·hi·lat·ed; an·ni·hi·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 verb1 a: to cause to be of no effect : nullify b: to destroy the substance or force of2: to regard as of no consequence3: to cause to cease to exist ; especially : kill4 a: to destroy a considerable part of <bombs annihilated the city> b: to vanquish completely : rout <annihilated the visitors 56–0>5: to cause (a particle and its antiparticle) to vanish by annihilatingintransitive verbof 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

\-ˌnī-ə-ˈlā-shən\ noun

— an·ni·hi·la·tor

\-ˌlā-tər\ noun

— an·ni·hi·la·to·ry

\-ˈnī-ə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective

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