advance
n. countablen. a move forward or a step toward progress. You use this when someone makes a discovery or when an army moves into a new area.
n. a forward movement or a significant development in a particular field. Often used to describe scientific breakthroughs or the physical progression of a military force.
The new medicine is a major advance in cancer treatment.
The army halted its advance at the border to wait for further instructions from the general.
Recent technological advances have fundamentally altered the way we communicate, making it possible to share information across the globe in a matter of seconds.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Italic *ap Latin ab Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti Proto-Italic *anti Latin ante Late Latin ab ante Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Vulgar Latin *abanteāre Old French avancierbor. Middle English avauncen English advance From Middle English avauncen, avancen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman avauncier, from Vulgar Latin *abanteāre, from Late Latin ab ante, from Latin ab + ante (“before”). ⟨d⟩ added in analogy to Latin ad- (cf. Middle French advancer). Compare avaunt.
Often used with the preposition 'in' when referring to progress in a specific field.