devolve
verbEtymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē- Proto-Indo-European *welH-der. Proto-Italic *wolwō Latin volvō Latin dēvolvōbor. English devolve Borrowed from Latin dēvolvō (“roll or tumble off or down”), from dē- + volvō (“roll”).
- derived from *wolwō Latin volvō Latin dēvolvōbor✻
Definitions
To be inherited by someone else
To be inherited by someone else; to pass down upon the next person in a succession, especially through failure or loss of an earlier holder.
- an accident […] rendered him permanently lame, and therefore unfitted him, in the opinion of his parents, to inherit his father's many titles, which, it was then arranged, should devolve upon his younger brother.
To delegate (a responsibility, duty, etc.) on or upon someone.
- Near-synonyms: pass down, pass on, hand down
To fall as a duty or responsibility on or upon someone.
- For the nonce he was rather nonplussed but inasmuch as the duty plainly devolved upon him to take some measures on the subject he pondered suitable ways and means during which Stephen repeatedly yawned.
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To degenerate
To degenerate; to break down.
- A discussion about politics may devolve into a shouting match.
To roll (something) down
To roll (something) down; to unroll.
- Near-synonyms: unwind, unfurl
- every headlong stream / Devolves its winding waters to the main.
- He spake of virtue […] And with […] a lack-lustre dead-blue eye, Devolved his rounded periods.
The neighborhood
- neighbordevolution
Derived
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for devolve. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA