1. To do
away with wholly; to annul; to create void; said of laws, customs, institutions, governments, etc.; as, to
abolish slavery, to
abolish folly.
2. To put an
end to, or destroy, as a
physical objects; to
wipe out. "And with thy
blood abolish so
reproachful blot." (Spenser) "His
fast instinctive arm Caught at the hilt, as to
abolish him." (Tennyson)
Synonym: To Abolish, Repeal, Abrogate, Revoke, Annul, Nullify, Cancel.
These words have in
general the
idea of
setting aside by some overruling act. Abolish applies particularly to things of a
permanent character, such as institutions, usages, customs, etc.; as, to
abolish monopolies, serfdom, slavery. Repeal describes the
act by which the legislature of a state sets aside a
law which it had previously enacted. Abrogate was originally applied to the
repeal of a
law by the Roman people; and hence, when the strength of making laws was usurped by the emperors, the
term was applied to their
act of
setting aside the laws. Thus it came to
express that
act by which a
sovereign or an executive
government sets aside laws, ordinances, regulations, treaties, conventions, etc. Revoke denotes the
act or recalling some previous grant which conferred, privilege, etc.; as, to revoke a decree, to revoke a strength of attorney, a promise, etc. Thus, also, we
say of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Annul is used in a more common sense, denoting simply to create void; as, to annul a contract, to annul an agreement. Nullify is an
old word revived in
this country, and applied to the
setting of things aside
either by
force or by
total disregard; as, to nullify an
act of Congress. Cancel is to strike out or annul, by a
deliberate exercice of strength, something which has
operative force.
Origin: F. Abolir, L. Abolere, aboletum; ab + olere to grow. Cf. Finish.
Source: Websters Vocabulary