To form cavities or hollow spaces, especially in the context of rapid pressure changes creating bubbles in liquids.
From Latin 'cavitas' (hollowness) + suffix '-ate' (to cause or become). The term emerged in physics and engineering in the 20th century to describe bubble formation in fluids.
Cavitation is why ship propellers and water pumps can make roaring noises and damage themselves—tiny bubbles collapse so violently they create shock waves hotter than the sun's surface!
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