evolution
English
Etymology
From Latin ēvolūtiō (“the act of unrolling, unfolding or opening (of a book)”), from ēvolūtus, perfect passive participle of ēvolvō (“unroll, unfold”), from ē (“out of”), short form of ex, + volvō (“roll”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA: /ˌiːvəˈluːʃən/, X-SAMPA: /%i:v@"lu:S@n/
- (US) IPA: /ˌɛvəˈluʃən/, X-SAMPA: /%Ev@"luS@n/
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Audio (US) (file)
Noun
evolution (plural evolutions)
- (general) gradual directional change especially one leading to a more advanced or complex form; growth; development
- 1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene:
- There are some examples of cultural evolution in birds and monkeys, but […] it is our own species that really shows what cultural evolution can do.
- 2005, Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth:
- Suffering has a noble purpose: the evolution of consciousness and the burning up of the ego.
- 1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene:
- (biology) The change in the genetic composition of a population over successive generations.
- 1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene:
- [Some books have] made the erroneous assumption that the important thing in evolution is the good of the species (or the group) rather than the good of the individual (or the gene).
- 1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene:
- (mathematics) The extraction of a root from a quantity.
- (military) One of a series of ordered movements.
- (dance, sports) A turning movement of the body.
- 1869, Anon., Miss Langley's Will:
- It was a critical instant: the pirouette -- it would fail, she feared. … the rapid whirl achieved in exact time, the whole evolution executed to perfection.
- 1825, Theodore Edward Hook, Sayings and Doings: Passion and principle:
- … as he beheld the tenfold pirouette of a lovely girl, which presented to the public eye the whole of her form and figure; … to praise the dexterity and ease with which the unfortunate and degraded creature had performed the ungraceful evolution, the only merit of which, is the gross exposition of person, at which modesty shudders …
- 1863, Knightley Willia Horlock, The master of the hounds:
- "Look now, that pirouette -- my stars! how Beauchamp would stare to see his darling perform such an evolution!"
- 1869, William Clarke, The boy's own book:
- By this operation each foot will describe an arc or segment of a circle. … This evolution is performed sometimes on one foot, sometimes on the other …
- 1869, Anon., Miss Langley's Will:
Antonyms
- (gradual process): revolution
Derived terms
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Related terms
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Translations
general: a gradual process of development
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biology: change in the genetic composition of a population over time
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mathematics: the extraction of a root from a quantity
military: One of a series of ordered movements
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
See also
External links
- evolution in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- evolution in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
Swedish
Noun
evolution c
Declension
Declension of evolution
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite |
| nominative | evolution | evolutionen | evolutioner | evolutionerna |
| genitive | evolutions | evolutionens | evolutioners | evolutionernas |