devolve

Borrowed from Latin dēvolvō (“roll or tumble off or down”), from dē + volvō (“roll”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈvɒɫv/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪˈvɑlv/, /diˈ-/, /-ˈvɔlv/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒlv
• Hyphenation: de‧volve

devolve (third-person singular simple present devolves, present participle devolving, simple past and past participle devolved)

1. (intransitive) To be inherited by someone else; to pass down upon the next person in a succession, especially through failure or loss of an earlier holder.

   Synonym: pass down

   • 1932, Duff Cooper, Talleyrand, Folio Society, published 2010, page 4:

     an accident rendered him permanently lame, and therefore unfitted him, in the opinion of his parents, to inherit his father's many titles, which, it was then arranged, should devolve upon his younger brother.

2. (transitive) To delegate (a responsibility, duty, etc.) on or upon someone.

   Near-synonyms: pass down, pass on, hand down

   1. (especially of a central government to a local one, a federal one to a federated one, etc.) To transfer authority and responsibility for (something) to (another entity).

      Despite being a unitary state, the Government of the United Kingdom devolved many matters to the Governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

      • 1704, Joseph Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy:

        They devolved their whole authority into the hands of the council of sixty.

      • 1756, Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful:

        An artful man became popular, the people had power in their hands, and they devolved a considerable share of their power upon their favourite .

      • 2020 August 26, “Network News: Shapps orders rapid review of flash flood resilience from NR”, in Rail, page 8:

        Shapps retains responsibility for rail safety in Scotland, with only the operation of track and train devolved to Transport Scotland.

3. (intransitive) To fall as a duty or responsibility on or upon someone.

   Coordinate term: befall

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, , →OCLC:
     , Episode 16:

     For the nonce he was rather nonplussed but inasmuch as the duty plainly devolved upon him to take some measures on the subject he pondered suitable ways and means during which Stephen repeatedly yawned.

   1. (especially of government authority) To shift or to be transferred from a central government to a local one, a federal one to a federated one, etc.

      Many legislative powers devolved to the new Scottish parliament in 1999.

5. (intransitive) To degenerate; to break down.

   Antonyms: evolve, improve

   Coordinate terms: deform, disintegrate; worsen

   A discussion about politics may devolve into a shouting match.

6. (obsolete, transitive) To roll (something) down; to unroll.

   Synonym: roll down

   Coordinate terms: revolve, rotate

   Near-synonyms: unwind, unfurl

   • 1744, Mark Akenside, The Pleasures of the Imagination, section II:

     every headlong stream / Devolves its winding waters to the main.

   • 1830, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Character:

     He spake of virtue And with a lack-lustre dead-blue eye, Devolved his rounded periods.

• The verb is sometimes used in the context of biology (in sense 4, "to degenerate"), but generally not by scientists as it is highly subjective.

• devolution

• evolved

• IPA^(key): /deˈvɔl.ve/
• Rhymes: -ɔlve
• Hyphenation: de‧vòl‧ve

devolve

1. third-person singular present indicative of devolvere

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key):
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key):

dēvolve

1. second-person singular present active imperative of dēvolvō

devolve

1. inflection of devolver:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative