cassation

American  

[ka-sey-shuhn, kuh-] / kæˈseɪ ʃən, kə- /

noun

1. annulment; cancellation; reversal.

2. Music. an 18th-century instrumental suite for outdoor performance, similar to the divertimento and the serenade.

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cassation British  

/ kæˈseɪʃən /

noun

1. law (esp in France) annulment, as of a judicial decision by a higher court

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Other Word Forms

• cassational adjective

Etymology

Origin of cassation

1375–1425; late Middle English cassacio ( u ) n < Medieval Latin cassātiōn- (stem of cassātiō ), equivalent to Late Latin cassāt ( us ) past participle of cassāre to annul ( cass- variant of Latin quass- ( quash ) + -ātus -ate ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

"Regarding the status of drivers, recent rulings by the Court of Cassation have confirmed their independent contractor status and thus clarified the framework within which we operate," an Uber spokesperson told AFP, referring to two rulings issued in July 2025 by an appeals court, which refused to reclassify drivers as Uber employees.

From Barron's

This would enable her to run even if she decided to appeal to the country's highest court – the Court of Cassation – to overturn the guilty verdict.

From BBC

This would make it next to impossible to run – even though she would still be expected to take the case to the Court of Cassation.

From BBC

The Court of Cassation found the lower court had wrongly reclassified the alleged crime of sabotage as a terrorism-related offence, and sent the case back for review by a different section of the Bologna Court of Appeal.

From Barron's

They were echoing Rémy Heitz, the prosecutor general at the Court of Cassation - the highest court in France - who said earlier on Tuesday that there had been "very personalised attacks" and threats against the three judges who had determined Monday's verdicts.

From BBC