What is the meaning of devolve?

verb

  • Pass on or delegate to another.
    • usage: "The representative devolved his duties to his aides while he was in the hospital"
  • Be inherited by.
    • usage: "The estate fell to my sister"; "The land returned to the family"; "The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead"
  • Grow worse.
    • usage: "Her condition deteriorated"; "Conditions in the slums degenerated"; "The discussion devolved into a shouting match"
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APAWordNet. (2010). devolve. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/devolve/definitions/1270170
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "devolve" http://smartdefine.org/devolve/definitions/1270170 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, devolve, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/devolve/definitions/1270170>.
MLAWordNet. "devolve" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/devolve/definitions/1270170>
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