cannibalization
- noun
- /ˌkænɪbəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
canibalización
- The airline resorted to cannibalization of older planes to keep its fleet operational.
Examples
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Due to a shortage of spare parts, the team relied on cannibalization to repair the equipment.
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Frequent cannibalization of machines can eventually leave some units unusable.
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The airline resorted to cannibalization of older planes to keep its fleet operational.
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The mechanic performed a cannibalization of parts from the old car.
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The cannibalization process helped keep the fleet operational.
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Due to a shortage of spare parts, the team relied on cannibalization to repair the equipment.
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Frequent cannibalization of machines can eventually leave some units unusable.
How Extensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
cannibalization = cannibalize (semi-transparent) = cannibal + ize + ation
The mechanical sense ('taking parts from one device to use in another') is a metaphorical extension of 'cannibalize' and is not purely literal, though the relation is reasonably inferable.
Etymology
Cannibalization comes from cannibal, meaning someone who eats their own kind, and gives a strong picture for machines: taking parts from one device to use in another is like 'eating' parts from the same family. So when we speak of cannibalization of machines, we mean removing parts from one unit to keep another working.