cannibalize

****************************************************************
The dictionary of the future has arrived! Check out the 3-in-1
format of the Eleventh Edition of our Collegiate Dictionary!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/book.pl?c11.htm&1
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for September 15 is:

cannibalize   \KAN-uh-buh-lyze\   verb
     1 : to take parts from a machine for use in building or repairing another 
machine  
    *2 : to take sales away from an existing product by selling or being sold 
as a similar but new product usually from the same manufacturer
     3 : to practice cannibalism

Example sentence:
     The band's concert CD did not cannibalize sales of the full-length album 
as some people expected.

Did you know?
     During World War II, military personnel often used salvageable parts from 
disabled vehicles and aircraft to repair other vehicles and aircraft. This 
sacrifice of one thing for the sake of another of its kind must have reminded 
some folks of cannibalism by humans and animals, because the process came to be 
known as "cannibalizing." The armed forces of this time were also known to 
cannibalize -- that is, to take away personnel from -- units to build up other 
units. It didn't take long for this military slang to become civilianized; and 
since its demobilization, the term has become a popular item served up in 
business writing and at company meetings to describe the practice of taking 
sales away from other businesses or even one's own products.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.