sabotaged
SAB-uh-tahzhd
Definition
To have deliberately damaged, impaired, or hindered the normal functioning of something.
Etymology
Derived from the French word 'saboter', meaning to damage or walk noisily in wooden shoes called 'sabots'. It entered English in the early 20th century to describe the act of industrial workers damaging machinery to force concessions.
In the news
The article uses the word to describe how wearing a sea sponge as a tool interferes with a dolphin's echolocation, effectively 'sabotaging' its primary sense during a hunt.
Dolphins off Western Australia carry sea sponges on their beaks while foraging along the ocean floor — a rare tool-use behaviour passed mainly from mothers to daughters, making it one of the few animal cultures shaped so strongly by gender
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com