annihilation
[ uh-nahy-uh-ley-shuhn ]
/ əˌnaɪ əˈleɪ ʃən /
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noun
an act or instance of annihilating, or of completely destroying or defeating someone or something: the brutal annihilation of millions of people.
the state of being annihilated total destruction; extinction: fear of nuclear annihilation.
Physics.
- Also called pair annihilation . the process in which a particle and antiparticle unite, annihilate each other, and produce one or more photons.Compare positronium.
- the conversion of rest mass into energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation.
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Origin of annihilation
First recorded in 1630–40; from French or directly from Late Latin annihilātiōn- (stem of annihilātiō ); see origin at annihilate, -ion
Words nearby annihilation
Annie, Annie Oakley, Annigoni, annihilable, annihilate, annihilation, annihilation radiation, annihilator, Anniston, anniv., anniversary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for annihilation
British Dictionary definitions for annihilation
annihilation
/ (əˌnaɪəˈleɪʃən) /
noun
total destruction
the act of annihilating
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 2012 Digital Edition
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