'nullification' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'nullificare,' where 'nullus' meant 'not any' and the element related to '-ficare' (from 'facere') meant 'to make'.

'nullification' changed from Medieval Latin 'nullificatio' and Late Latin 'nullificare' and eventually became the modern English word 'nullification' via usage in Early Modern English.

Initially, it meant 'the making of nothing' or 'rendering into nothing/void,' and over time it has kept the core meaning of 'making void' or 'annulling' in modern usage.