Also 5–6 cansel, 5–7 cancell, 6 Sc. cancil. [a. F. cancelle-r (15th c. in Littré):—L. cancellāre to make lattice-wise, to cross out a writing, f. cancellus, cancelli cross-bars, lattice. Cf. Pr. cancellar, Sp. cancelar, It. cancellare. F. canceller is a learned word: the native F. repr. of the L. is chanceler: see CHANCEL, etc.]
1. trans. To deface or obliterate (writing), properly by drawing lines across it lattice-wise; to cross out, strike out. Of legal documents, deeds, etc.: To annul, render void or invalid by so marking.
c. 1440. [see CANCELLING vbl. sb. 1].
1466. Mann. & Househ. Exp., 332. This day my mastyr reseyvid and canselled the said obligacyon.
1539. Elyot, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 142, II. 117. There was a former patente founde of the sayde Office, and myn was callid in and cancelled.
1592. Greene, Art Conny catch., II. 2. Marry saies the prentise … then Bull shall cancell my indentures at Tiburne.
1678. South, in 12 Serm. (1694), 512 (R.). The Hand-writing against him may be Cancelled in the Court of Heaven, and yet the Enditement run on in the Court of Conscience.
1767. Blackstone, Comm., II. xx. 308–9. A deed may be avoided… By delivering it up to be cancelled; that is to have lines drawn over it in the form of lattice work or cancelli; though the phrase is now used figuratively for any manner of obliteration or defacing it.
1836. Arnold, Lett., in Life & Corr. (1844), II. viii. 34. In my Catholic Pamphlet … there is one paragraph which I should now cancel.
† b. To deface or destroy by cutting or tearing up.
1580. Baret, Alv., C 50. I tore or rent in peces the verses that I made: I cancelled them.
1613. R. C., Table Alph. (ed. 3), Cancell, to vndoe, deface, crosse out, or teare.
1650. Fuller, Pisgah, II. iv. 385. That innocent Volume, first cancelled with a pen-knife to pieces, then burnt to ashes.
1659. Pearson, Creed (1839), 296. One ancient custom of cancelling bonds was, by striking a nail through the writing.
2. fig. To annul, repeal, render void (obligations, promises, vows, or other things binding).
1494. Fabyan, VII. 352. All such bandes and promysses that the Kynge or any other had made … shuld be adnulled & cancelled.
1594. Drayton, Idea, 845. Shake hands for ever, Cancell all our Vowes.
1692. Bentley, Boyle Lect., ix. 335. Who can say that this [the Moral Law] is abrogated and cancelled by Jesus?
1772. Priestley, Nat. & Rev. Relig. (1782), II. 34. That promise must have been cancelled.
1844. Thirlwall, Greece, VIII. 138. All debts were to be cancelled.
† b. intr. To become void or null. rare.
a. 1667. Cowley, A rash oath that cancell’d in the making.
3. gen. a. To obliterate, blot out, delete from sight or memory.
1530. Lyndesay, Test. Papyngo, 252. Quho bene Iniuste degraditar of glorie, And cancillat out of thy memorie.
1667. Milton, P. L., VI. 379. Canceld from Heav’n and sacred memorie, Nameless in dark oblivion let them dwell.
1827. Montgomery, Pelican Isl., II. 292. Great Babylon was like a wreath of sand, Left by one tide, and cancell’d by the next.
b. To frustrate, reduce to nought, put an end to, abolish.
1593. Shaks., Lucr., 934 (1594), G iij. VVhy hath thy seruant ppportunity…? Canceld my fortunes…?
1608. Yorksh. Trag., I. ii. 203. Much good has been expected in your life; Cancel not all men’s hopes.
1813. Byron, Lett. to Moore, 2 Oct. Your letter has cancelled all my anxieties.
1850. Tennyson, In Mem., xcv. 44. At length my trance Was cancell’d, stricken thro’ with doubt.
1868. Helps, Realmah, v. (1876), 87. I would cancel those offices which are becoming obsolete.
c. with off. (Cf. cut off.)
1608. Shaks., Per., I. i. 113. We might proceed to cancel off your dayes.
4. Arithm. To strike out (a figure) by drawing a line through it; esp. in removing a common factor, e.g., from the numerator and denominator of a fraction; also absol. Hence b. To remove equivalent quantities of opposite signs, or on opposite sides of an equation, account, etc.; to balance a quantity of opposite sign, so that the sum is zero.
1542. Recorde, Gr. Artes (1575), 151. I must write that 1 ouer 3, and deface or cancell the 3.
1594. Blundevil, Exerc., I. iv. (ed. 7), 12. Cancell the 2, and draw another line under the 2 severall Products.
1798. Hutton, Course Math. (1827), I. 161. Here the 2 to carry cancels the – 2, and there remains the – 1 to set down.
c. fig. To render (a thing) null by means of something of opposite nature; to neutralize, counterbalance, countervail; to make up for, compensate.
1633. G. Herbert, Temple, The Bag, iv. Many a brunt He did endure to cancell sinne: And having giv’n the rest before, Here he gave up his life to pay our score.
1681. Dryden, Abs. & Achit., 181. With publick Zeal to cancel private Crimes.
a. 1777. Goldsm., Prologue, 16. Here then at once I welcome every shame, And cancel at three score a life of fame.
1855. Maury, Phys. Geog. Sea, xix. (1860), § 792. One motion exactly cancels the other.
1881. Jowett, Thucyd., I. 29. The later kindness … may cancel a greater previous wrong.
5. Printing. To suppress (a page, sheet, etc.) after it has been set up in type or printed off.
1738. Birch, Milton’s Wks., I. 46. The Sheet otherwise the same, not cancell’d, but the Alteration made as it was printing.
1775. Mason, Mem., in Gray’s Poems (1775), 401. I once had an intention to cancel the pages, and correct the passages objected to.
1852. H. Cotton, Edit. of Bible, 276. Mr. Lea Wilson was of opinion that fol. xxxi. in the New Testament has been cancelled and reprinted.
† 6.
1473. in Arnolde, Chron. (1811), 78. That noo wullen cloth from thensforth be shorne excepte cancellyng but yf it be fully wet.
1483. Act 1 Rich. III., viii. § 4. That no Sherman nor other persone … shere nor cancell any Cloth within this Roialme but if the same be afore fullye wette.
† 7. To inclose with lattice-work or rails. Obs. [the literal sense of L. cancellāre.]
1644. Evelyn, Diary (1827), I. 177. In a little obscure place cancelled in with yron worke.
1650. Fuller, Pisgah, IV. iii. 50. Cancelling, and railing it with posts.
