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disdire

to cancel, to retract

verb dee-ZDEE-reh Rare
Communication Speech

Origin: From Latin dedicere (to unsay), via dis- + dicere (to say).

Also means

to deny, to contradict

Usage Note

Disdire is an irregular verb conjugated like dire — so the present tense is disdico, disdici, disdice… Unlike the simple cancellare (to cancel), disdire carries the nuance of formally retracting something previously said or agreed upon, making it the preferred word for cancelling a reservation (disdire una prenotazione) or a subscription.

Examples

"Ho dovuto disdire la prenotazione all'ultimo momento."

Natural Translation

I had to cancel the reservation at the last moment.

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