Digitalization

/dɪdʒɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/ noun

Definition

The medical process of treating a patient with digitalis or digitalis compounds, particularly to regulate heart rhythm; also, the act of converting something to digital form.

Etymology

From 'digitalize' plus '-ation,' meaning the process or result of an action. In medicine, it comes from the digitalis plant; in computing, from 'digit' and 'digital.'

Kelly Says

This word now has two completely different meanings depending on context—a cardiologist and a software engineer would interpret it completely differently, showing how the same root can split into separate technical vocabularies.

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