[ad. L. cancellātiōn-em, n. of action f. cancellāre: see CANCEL v. and -ATION. So mod.F. cancellation. (In L. the sb. had only the sense of fixing a boundary.)]
1. The action of the vb. CANCEL: the crossing out or obliteration of writing, the suppression of a leaf or sheet of a book as originally printed, the annulling of a legal document; a making void or rescinding of an obligation; the neutralizing of opposing equal numbers or amounts.
1535. Act 27 Hen. VIII., xxvii. The said Chauncellour shall haue power … to make cancellacion of suche leases and letters patentes.
1628. Coke, On Litt., 308 b. By cancellation of the Deed.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., III. 90. In spite of cancellations and interlineations, the original words can easily be distinguished.
1872. J. A. H. Murray, Compl. Scotl., Introd. 20. They entailed the cancellation of no fewer than 33 of the original leaves, and the substitution of 37 others.
1875. Poste, Gaius, II. (ed. 2), 247. The mere cancellation or obliteration of a will was an informal Revocation and left the will valid at civil law.
1878. F. A. Walker, Money, I. iii. 68. In this cancellation of indebtedness.
2. etymologically. The action of marking with cross lines lattice-wise. (nonce-use.)
1843. Blackw. Mag., LIV. 60. The cancellation of his back by stripes and scars.
