cancellation
UK[ˌkænsəˈleɪʃn]US[ˌkænsəˈleɪʃn]
n
the act of cancelling something
n
a mark made on a postage stamp to show it has been used
Morpheme Breakdown
cancel
lation
cancel
to cross out
lation
act or result of
Etymology
The word 'cancellation' originates from the Latin verb cancellare, meaning 'to make like a lattice' or 'to cross out with lines'. This verb itself derives from cancelli, meaning 'lattice' or 'bars', suggesting the visual act of crossing something out resembles drawing a grid or bars over it. The suffix '-lation' is a nominalizing element from Latin, indicating the action or result of the verb. Thus, the literal progression from the concrete image of drawing lines through a lattice to the modern abstract meaning of 'the act of making something void or invalid' is clearly preserved.
Analysis
Structure: cancel (to cross out) + lation (act or result of)
cancel (from Latin cancellare, 'to make like a lattice, to cross out'), lation (a suffix forming nouns of action from Latin -latio(n-), from the past participle stem -lat- of verbs ending in -lare).
Examples
The airline notified us of the flight cancellation due to bad weather.
There is a 24-hour free cancellation policy for this hotel booking.
The cancellation on the old stamp made it a less valuable collector's item.