the formation of partial vacuums within a flowing liquid as a result of mechanical force, as with a boat propeller or a pump impeller: when these collapse, pitting or other damage is caused on metal surfaces in contact
Origin:
< LL cavitas, cavity + -ation
See cavitation in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
The sudden formation and collapse of low-pressure bubbles in liquids by means of mechanical forces, such as those resulting from rotation of a marine propeller.
The pitting of a solid surface.
Medicine The formation of cavities in a body tissue or an organ, especially those formed in the lung as a result of tuberculosis.