First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
devolve
verb de·volve \di-ˈvälv, -ˈvȯlv, dē-\
: to gradually go from an advanced state to a less advanced state
: to pass (responsibility, power, etc.) from one person or group to another person or group at a lower level of authority
: to be given to someone after the owner has died
de·volvedde·volv·ing
Full Definition of DEVOLVE
transitive verb
: to pass on (as responsibility, rights, or powers) from one person or entity to another <devolving to western Europe full responsibility for its own defense — Christopher Lane>
intransitive verb
1
a : to pass by transmission or succession <the estate devolved on a distant cousin> b : to fall or be passed usually as a responsibility or obligation <the responsibility for breadwinning has devolved increasingly upon women — Barbara Ehrenreich>
2
: to come by or as if by flowing down <his allegedly subversive campaigns…devolve from his belief in basic American rights — Frank Deford>
3
: to degenerate through a gradual change or evolution <where order devolves into chaos — Johns Hopkins Magazine>
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Origin of DEVOLVE
Middle English, from Latin devolvere, from de- + volvere to roll — more at voluble
Related to DEVOLVE
- Synonyms
- atrophy, crumble, decay, decline, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, ebb, regress, retrograde, rot, sink, worsen
- Antonyms
- ameliorate, improve, meliorate
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