ˈkanəbəl noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: New Latin canibalis Carib, from Spanish caníbal, caríbal, from 15th century Arawakan caniba, carib (forms recorded by Columbus in Cuba and Haiti respectively), of Cariban origin; akin to Carib calina, calinago, galibi Caribs, literally, strong men, brave men
1. : a human being that eats human flesh — called also anthropophagite
2. : an animal that devours its own kind
3. : one that cannibalizes machines for replacement parts