The word "cannibalized" is spelled with three syllables: "can-ni-bal-ized" (kænɪbəlaɪzd). It is derived from the word "cannibal," which refers to a person who eats the flesh of other human beings. In the context of business, "cannibalized" refers to a company's product or service taking market share away from its own older or related product/service. The -ized suffix indicates that the object has been affected by the cannibalism. The spelling of "cannibalized" showcases the complex nature of English orthography.
Cannibalized, in its literal sense, refers to the act of consuming the flesh, organs, or any other body parts of an individual of the same species. It commonly applies within the context of animals or humans engaging in the practice of eating members of their own kind. However, the term "cannibalized" can also have metaphorical or figurative interpretations.
In a figurative sense, "cannibalized" is often used when discussing industries, products, or businesses. It refers to the process in which one component, resource, or entity is dismantled or used to extract value from it, which ultimately diminishes its intended purpose or weakens it altogether. This can occur when parts of a machine or technological device are removed or repurposed for other devices, resulting in a decrease in functionality or the ability to fulfill its original function optimally.
In a business context, "cannibalized" describes a situation where a company introduces a new product or service that ends up competing with its own existing lineup, leading to a decline in sales or market share for those original offerings. This self-competition can occur when a company releases an upgraded version of a product, rendering the previous version obsolete or less desirable.
Overall, "cannibalized" can describe processes that involve the consumption, dismantling, or repurposing of entities for various reasons, including survival, extraction of value, or creating competition within the same entity.
The word "cannibalized" is derived from the word "cannibal", which originally comes from the Spanish word "caníbal". The Spanish term "caníbal" was derived from the name of a tribe encountered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. The tribe was called "Caniba" by the native people of the Caribbean, and Columbus associated their alleged practice of cannibalism with the term "caníbal". Eventually, the term spread to other European languages and became commonly associated with the act of eating human flesh. "Cannibalized" is the past tense or past participle form of "cannibalize", which figuratively means to consume or exploit one's own resources, assets, or products.