The Spanish verb 'cancelar' (to cancel) comes from the Latin verb 'cancellare', which originally meant 'to make a lattice' or 'to cross out'. This Latin verb was derived from 'cancelli', meaning 'lattice' or 'grating' (a diminutive form), which in turn came from 'cancri' meaning 'bars' or 'railings'. The evolution of meaning from physical crossed bars to the modern sense of cancellation is quite visual - the act of crossing something out (like making a lattice pattern over it) became associated with nullifying or canceling it.

A related Spanish word is 'cancel' (meaning a gate or railing), which more directly preserves the original Latin meaning of a barrier or grating. The word 'cancela' is also used in Spanish to refer to a gate or grille, particularly an ornamental one.

The English word 'cancel' is a direct cousin of Spanish 'cancelar', as both descended from the same Latin root 'cancellare'. English also preserves related words like 'chancel' (the railed-off part of a church near the altar) and 'chancellor' (originally referring to an official stationed behind a latticed barrier or screen), both of which reflect the original Latin meaning of a crossed barrier or grating.