annihilation

[ uh-nahy-uh-ley-shuh n ]
/ əˌnaɪ əˈleɪ ʃən /

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.
  1. Also called pair annihilation. the process in which a particle and antiparticle unite, annihilate each other, and produce one or more photons.Compare positronium.
  2. the conversion of rest mass into energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation.

Origin of annihilation

1630–40; (< F) < Late Latin annihilātiōn- (stem of annihilātiō). See annihilate, -ion

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