As a verb, to annex means to take control of land or a smaller part and make it part of a larger country or organization. As a noun, an annex is a building or room that is added to a main building.
From Latin 'annexare' meaning 'to tie to' or 'attach', from 'ad-' (to) + 'nectere' (to bind). The political sense of taking territory developed as countries expanded their borders.
The word is surprisingly neutral—'attach to'—but in politics, annexation is often anything but neutral. That double life shows how the same root can sound harmless in one context (a building annex) and explosive in another (annexing land).
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