To officially declare that something (especially a marriage or legal agreement) is no longer valid or never legally existed.
From Latin 'annullare' (to make nothing), from 'ad-' (to) + 'nullus' (nothing). The legal meaning became standard in medieval Latin and entered English through Norman French legal terminology after 1066.
An annulment is legally different from a divorce in interesting ways—a divorce ends a valid marriage, but an annulment says the marriage was never valid to begin with. This distinction matters for property rights, legitimacy of children, and religious acceptance.
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