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shakedown

shakedown

4 7.0
A short testing period for a new system to find and fix problems
  • noun
  • /ˈʃeɪkˌdaʊn/
translation icon : fase de pruebas
  • According to Jeff Willett, director of public works, the facility was scheduled for a three-week shakedown period after going online at the end of October.
  • a shakedown period
  • go through a shakedown
  • shakedown cruise

Examples

  • A pre-launch NASA press release, dated March 18, 1981, described the mission as the shuttle's first orbital shakedown flight.

    Blog text (22)

  • We were here to make a shakedown of the machine, and we were doing very well.

    Blog text (30)

  • The exercise, however, was useful for shakedown purposes.

    Academic text (1995)

  • During the shakedown period, the Sikorsky team made a number of adjustments.

    Academic text (2003)

  • That's just the nature of the internet right now -- we're still in shakedown mode, figuring out what works and what doesn't.

    Blog text (15)

  • After assembling the new machinery, the team conducted a shakedown to ensure everything was working properly.

  • The software will undergo a shakedown phase before its public release to identify and fix any issues.

  • During the shakedown, we tested all the functions of the new equipment to improve its efficiency.

Antonyms

stability
363 3.1

Being steady and not likely to change

settling
10 4.3

A slow sinking of things to a lower level, like a building foundation or dust on furniture

How Thorough

stress test
  • Specialized
8 4.4
shakedown
4 7.0
inspection
  • Formal
356 2.5
trial run
13 3.2

Surface Forms

shakedown singular
shakedowns plural

Morphology

shakedown = shake + down (semi-transparent) = shake + down

Derived from the phrasal verb 'shake down' meaning to test or settle; the nominal sense 'period of testing' is somewhat idiomatic but inferable from the verb.

Etymology

Shakedown comes from the simple idea shake + down, as if you shake a new machine to make loose parts or faults fall out; think of a 'shakedown cruise' where you try something fast to find problems. So a shakedown is a short testing period to find and fix problems and make the system work well.