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evolution

n.
US //ˌɛvəˈɫuʃən// UK //ɪvəlˈuːʃən// evo·lu·tion
  1. 1 biological change (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Science

    the process by which living things change over many generations to adapt to their environment.

    the process of cumulative change in the heritable characteristics of a population over successive generations.

    Example

    In biology class, we learned about the evolution of birds from small dinosaurs.

    Example

    Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection remains the foundational principle of modern biological science, explaining the vast diversity of life on Earth.
  2. 2 gradual development (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the slow and steady development of an idea, a system, or a situation.

    the gradual development of something into a more complex or advanced state.

    Example

    The evolution of the mobile phone has changed how we communicate every day.

    Example

    The evolution of the company from a small family business into a global corporation took nearly half a century of careful expansion.
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  1. 3 physical movement (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Formal

    a planned series of movements or a change in position.

    a pattern of movements or a coordinated change in position, often in a military or dance context.

    Example

    The dancers performed a complex evolution across the stage.

    Example

    The naval fleet executed a series of complex evolutions to demonstrate their readiness for the upcoming joint exercises.
  2. 4 mathematical extraction (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Math

    the process of finding the root of a number.

    the extraction of a root from a power or a number.

    Example

    Evolution is the mathematical term for finding a square root.

    Example

    In classical arithmetic, evolution refers to the operation of finding the root of a quantity, the inverse of involution.
    • root extraction
    • involution
Origin

Borrowed from Latin ēvolūtiō, ēvolūtiōnis (“the act of unrolling, unfolding or opening (of a book)”), from ēvolūtus, perfect passive participle of ēvolvō (“unroll, unfold”), from ex + volvō (“roll”). Compare typologically Czech vývoj, Serbo-Croatian развој, Russian разви́ть (razvítʹ), развива́ть (razvivátʹ), разви́ться (razvítʹsja), развива́ться (razvivátʹsja), Russian разви́тие (razvítije), related to Proto-Slavic *viti (whence Czech vít, Russian вить (vitʹ)).

Word family

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