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WordReference can't find this exact phrase, but click on each word to see its meaning:
We could not find the full phrase you were looking for. The entry for "evolution" is displayed below. Also see: long | term
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026ev•o•lu•tion /ˌɛvəˈluʃən; esp. Brit. ˌivə-/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
- any process of formation or growth;
development: the evolution of the drama.
- BiologyBiol.
- change in a population of living things by such processes as mutation and natural selection.
- the theory that all existing organisms developed from earlier forms by natural selection.
ev•o•lu•tion•ar•y, adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026ev•o•lu•tion
(ev′ə lo̅o̅′shən or, esp. Brit., ē′və-),USA pronunciation n.
- any process of formation or growth;
development:the evolution of a language; the evolution of the airplane.
- a product of such development;
something evolved:The exploration of space is the evolution of decades of research.
- Biologychange in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.
- Sociologya process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development, as in social or economic structure or institutions.
- a motion incomplete in itself, but combining with coordinated motions to produce a single action, as in a machine.
- a pattern formed by or as if by a series of movements:the evolutions of a figure skater.
- Thermodynamicsan evolving or giving off of gas, heat, etc.
- Mathematicsthe extraction of a root from a quantity. Cf. involution (def. 8).
- Militarya movement or one of a series of movements of troops, ships, etc., as for disposition in order of battle or in line on parade.
- Militaryany similar movement, esp. in close order drill.
- Latin ēvolūtiōn- (stem of ēvolūtiō) an unrolling, opening, equivalent. to ēvolūt(us) (see evolute) + -iōn- -ion
- 1615–25
1. unfolding, change, progression, metamorphosis.
1. stasis, inactivity, changelessness.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
evolution /ˌiːvəˈluːʃən/ n - a gradual change in the characteristics of a population of animals or plants over successive generations: accounts for the origin of existing species from ancestors unlike them
See also natural selection - a gradual development, esp to a more complex form: the evolution of modern art
- the act of throwing off, as heat, gas, vapour, etc
- a pattern formed by a series of movements or something similar
- an algebraic operation in which the root of a number, expression, etc, is extracted
Compare involution - an exercise carried out in accordance with a set procedure or plan
Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin ēvolūtiō an unrolling, from ēvolvere to evolveˌevoˈlutionary, ˌevoˈlutional adj
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