annihilation

[uh-nahy-uh-ley-shuhn] Example Sentences Origin

an·ni·hi·la·tion

[uh-nahy-uh-ley-shuhn]
noun
1.
the act or an instance of annihilating.
2.
the state of being annihilated; extinction; destruction.
3.
Physics.
a.
Also called pair annihilation. the process in which a particle and antiparticle unite, annihilate each other, and produce one or more photons. Compare positronium.
b.
the conversion of rest mass into energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation.

Origin:
1630–40; (< F) < Late Latin annihilātiōn- (stem of annihilātiō). See annihilate, -ion
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Annihilation is always a great word to know.
So is radiant energy. Does it mean:
energy transmitted in wave motion, especially electromagnetic wave motion
the electric or magnetic force that acts between oppositely charged bodies, tending to draw them together
Example Sentences
  • Complete and utter annihilation by nuclear disaster and/or an asteroid collision with all of us on one planet was almost certain.
  • The gradual annihilation of distance will put human beings in closer contact and harmonize their views and aspirations.
  • On the other hand, it is a kiss capable of betrayal or deception and of bringing the speaker to an ecstatic brink of annihilation.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
annihilation (əˌnaɪəˈleɪʃən)
 
n
1.  total destruction
2.  the act of annihilating
3.  physics the destruction of a particle and its antiparticle when they collide. The annihilation of an electron with a positron generates two or, very rarely, three photons of annihilation radiation. The annihilation of a nucleon with its antiparticle generates several pions

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

annihilation
1630s, from Fr. annihilation, restored from O.Fr. anichilacion (14c.), from L.L. annihilare (see annihilate).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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