devolve

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /dɪˈvɑlv/ UK /dɪˈvɒlv/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to transfer power or duty to another; or to degenerate gradually

Authority over schools was devolved to regional councils.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to transfer power or duty... delegate transferhand downdegenerate deteriorate decline

Opposites

centralize evolve progress

Word family

Derived forms devolutiondevolvement

Related forms evolve revolve involve

Simplified etymology

Devolve entered English in late Middle English from Latin devolvere, “to unroll” or “roll down.” Its root is Latin volvere, “to turn, roll, or tumble.”

Etymology

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

Actions & Processes

External links

# devolve

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈvɑlv/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈvɒlv/

## Meanings
1. to transfer power or duty to another; or to degenerate gradually

## Examples
- Authority over schools was devolved to regional councils.

## Synonyms
- delegate
- transfer
- hand down
- degenerate
- deteriorate
- decline

## Antonyms
- centralize
- evolve
- progress

## Derived Forms
- devolution
- devolvement

## Related Forms
- evolve
- revolve
- involve

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

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

## AI Etymology
Devolve is 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 verb, it means "to transfer power or duty to another; or to degenerate gradually", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include evolve, revolve, and involve; derived forms include devolution and devolvement.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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