Added 9 October 2026
evolution
/ˌiːvəˈluːʃ(ə)n/ noun
In Latin: seriēs, prōgressus Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about evolution at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A change of position. A manoeuvre of troops or ships. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller} A turning movement, especially of the body. A turned or twisted shape; an involution, a complex or intricate shape.
- A manoeuvre of troops or ships. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
- A turning movement, especially of the body.
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)).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)