canalize
canalize Lexical Profile
canalize Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To direct or guide (something, such as energy, emotions, or resources) toward a particular purpose or along a desired course.
"The community program seeks to canalize the boundless enthusiasm of young volunteers into productive local initiatives."
To convert (a natural river or stream) into a navigable canal by dredging, damming, or building locks, or to provide an area with a network of canals.
"Civil engineers were hired to canalize the shallow river so that commercial barges could transport goods inland."
To form new channels, pathways, or capillaries through (body tissue or a blood clot) (in medicine and biology, or of a developmental process buffered against genetic or environmental variations).
"Over several weeks, new blood vessels began to canalize the fibrous tissue, restoring circulation to the affected area."
• Rhymes for canalize
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-19th century from French canaliser, derived from canal, which traces back to Latin canalis meaning 'water pipe, groove, or channel'.