"void of legal force, invalid," 1560s, from Middle French nul, from Latin nullus "not any, none," from ne- "not, no" (from PIE root *ne- "not") + illus "any," diminutive of unus "one" (from PIE root *oi-no- "one, unique").

in U.S. political sense of "action of a state in refusing to allow a federal law to be enforced within its limits," 1798, in Thomas Jefferson; from Late Latin nullificationem (nominative nullificatio) "a making as nothing," noun of action from past-participle stem of nullificare (see nullify). Related: Nullificationist.

"one of no faith or religion," 1560s, from Latin nulli-, combining form of nullus "no" (see null) + fides "faith" (from PIE root *bheidh- "to trust, confide, persuade"). As an adjective from 1620s.

"render legally null and void, render invalid," 1590s, from Late Latin nullificare "to esteem lightly, despise," literally "to make nothing," from Latin nullus "not any" (see null) + combining form of facere "to make" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). Related: Nullified; nullifying; nullifier.

"having never given birth," 1837, from medical Latin nullipara "woman (especially one not a virgin) who has never given birth," from nulli-, stem of nullus "no" (see null) + -para, fem. of parus, from parire "to bring forth" (from PIE root *pere- (1) "to produce, procure") + -ous.

1560s, "state or quality of being legally null and void," from French nullité (14c.) or directly from Medieval Latin nullitalis, from Latin nullus "not any" (see null). From 1580s as "a state of nothingness;" in reference to persons, "a non-entity," by 1650s.

c. 1400, nome, "deprived of motion or feeling, powerless to feel or act," literally "taken, seized," from past participle of nimen "to take, seize," from Old English niman "to take, catch, grasp" (from PIE root *nem- "assign, allot; take"). The unetymological -b (to conform to comb, limb, etc.) appeared 17c. The notion is of being "taken" with palsy, shock, and especially cold. Figurative use is from 1560s.

"to make numb, deprive of sensation or power of movement," 1550s (implied in numbed), from numb (adj.). Related: Numbing.

c. 1300, "to count," from Old French nombrer "to count, reckon," from nombre (n.) "number" (see number (n.)). Meaning "to assign a distinctive number to" is late 14c.; that of "to ascertain the number of" is from early 15c. Related: Numbered; numbering.

c. 1300, "sum, aggregate of a collection," from Anglo-French noumbre, Old French nombre and directly from Latin numerus "a number, quantity," from PIE root *nem- "assign, allot; take."

Meaning "written symbol or figure of arithmetic value" is from late 14c. Meaning "single (numbered) issue of a magazine" is from 1795. Colloquial sense of "a person or thing" is by 1894. Meaning "dialing combination to reach a particular telephone receiver" is from 1879; hence wrong number (1886). The modern meaning "musical selection" (1885) is from vaudeville theater programs, where acts were marked by a number. Earlier numbers meant "metrical sound or utterance, measured or harmonic expression" (late 15c.) and, from 1580s, "poetical measure, poetry, verse."

Number one "oneself" is from 1704 (mock-Italian form numero uno attested from 1973); the biblical Book of Numbers (c. 1400, Latin Numeri, Greek Arithmoi) is so called because it begins with a census of the Israelites. Childish slang number one and number two for "urination" and "defecation" attested from 1902. Number cruncher is 1966, of machines; 1971 of persons. To get or have (someone's) number "have someone figured out" is attested from 1853; to say one's number is up (1806) meaning "one's time has come" is a reference to the numbers on a lottery, draft, etc. The numbers "illegal lottery" is from 1897, American English.