ˈkanəbəˌlizəm noun
( -s )
1. : the eating of human flesh by a human being seldom done for nutritional purposes but among cannibals done in conjunction with religious or sacramental rites and usually including the eating of certain organs believed to be the seat of desired virtues or powers — compare endocannibalism
2.
a. : the eating of the flesh or the eggs of any animal by its own kind
b. : the eating of human flesh by a lower animal
3. : the pecking and tearing of the live flesh of its own members in a domestic poultry flock — compare peck order
4. : the act or practice of weakening or destroying a competitor or rival
threatened only from time to time by the incursions of political or economic cannibalism — Paul Schrecker
5. : cannibalization
6. : oral sadism