devolution

C2+ Topic:Places & Geography

US /ˌdɛvəˈluʃən/ UK /ˌdiːvəˈluːʃən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the transfer of power from central to local authority; or degeneration

Scotland gained greater autonomy through political devolution.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the transfer of power from... decentralization delegation transfer degeneration retrogression deterioration

Opposites

centralization evolution progression

Word family

Derived forms devolutionarydevolutionist

Related forms devolve evolution revolution

Etymology

From Late Latin devolutio, from Latin devolvere ('to roll down'), from de- ('down') + volvere ('to roll, turn').

devolvere Latin volvere Latin *welu- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Places & Geography Word Formation & Derivatives

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# devolution

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌdɛvəˈluʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌdiːvəˈluːʃən/

## Meanings
1. the transfer of power from central to local authority; or degeneration

## Examples
- Scotland gained greater autonomy through political devolution.

## Synonyms
- decentralization
- delegation
- transfer
- degeneration
- retrogression
- deterioration

## Antonyms
- centralization
- evolution
- progression

## Derived Forms
- devolutionary
- devolutionist

## Related Forms
- devolve
- evolution
- revolution

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: devolvere
- Root: volvere
- Root: *welu-

## Etymology
From Late Latin devolutio, from Latin devolvere ('to roll down'), from de- ('down') + volvere ('to roll, turn').

## AI Etymology
Devolution is from Late Latin devolutio, from Latin devolvere ('to roll down'), from de- ('down') + volvere ('to roll, turn'). The ancestry passes through Latin devolvere, Latin volvere, and Proto-Indo-European *welu-. The prefix de- often marks removal, reversal, or downward motion in Latin formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as a noun, it means "the transfer of power from central to local authority; or degeneration", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include devolve, evolution, and revolution; derived forms include devolutionary and devolutionist.

## Topics
- Places & Geography
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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devolution

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