countermand

Etymology

From Old French contremander, from Medieval Latin contramandō, from contra + mandō (“I order; I command”).

verb

1. To revoke (a former command); to cancel or rescind by giving an order contrary to one previously given.
   to countermand an order for goods
2. To recall a person or unit with such an order.
3. To cancel an order for (some specified goods).
   Three of the maids of honour ſent to countermand their birth-day cloaths; two of them burnt all their collections of novels and romances, and ſent to a bookſeller’s in Pall-mall to buy each of them a bible, and Taylor’s holy living and dying. 1727, Jonathan Swift, A True and Faithful Narrative of What Passed in London
4. (figurative) To counteract, to act against, to frustrate.
   Early on, Ezra gives her a lesson to countermand the endless female impulse to apologise: “Darling, don’t continually say ‘I’m sorry’. Next time you feel like saying ‘I’m sorry’, instead say ‘Fuck you’.” 2018-02-28, Justine Jordan, “Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday review – a dizzying debut”, in The Guardian
5. (obsolete) To prohibit (a course of action or behavior).
6. (obsolete) To oppose or revoke the command of (someone).
7. (obsolete) To maintain control of, to keep under command.

noun

1. An order to the contrary of a previous one.