Living in London

We are starting a new category today for words that seem to be common here in the UK but strike our American ears as unusal.

Today's word is nugatory. According to Answers.com it means

1. Of little or no importance; trifling.
2. Having no force; invalid.

Example, from The Observer:

Burke says the time scales are so long as to render nuclear's contribution to climate change by 2020 nugatory. 'If you started today, you would not have a reactor going for 10 years.

Listen to nugatory pronounced here. Of course, the British put the emphasis on the first syllable, rather than the third, as indicated by this pronounciation.