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evolution

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evolution

 

  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Evolution  \Ev`o*lu"tion\,  n.  [L.  evolutio  an  unrolling:  cf  F. 
  ['e]volution  evolution.  See  {Evolve}.] 
  1.  The  act  of  unfolding  or  unrolling;  hence  in  the  process 
  of  growth;  development;  as  the  evolution  of  a  flower  from 
  a  bud,  or  an  animal  from  the  egg. 
 
  2.  A  series  of  things  unrolled  or  unfolded.  ``The  whole 
  evolution  of  ages.''  --Dr.  H.  More 
 
  3.  (Geom.)  The  formation  of  an  involute  by  unwrapping  a 
  thread  from  a  curve  as  an  evolute.  --Hutton. 
 
  4.  (Arith.  &  Alg.)  The  extraction  of  roots;  --  the  reverse  of 
  involution. 
 
  5.  (Mil.  &  Naval)  A  prescribed  movement  of  a  body  of  troops, 
  or  a  vessel  or  fleet;  any  movement  designed  to  effect  a 
  new  arrangement  or  disposition;  a  maneuver. 
 
  Those  evolutions  are  best  which  can  be  executed  with 
  the  greatest  celerity,  compatible  with  regularity. 
  --Campbell. 
 
  6.  (Biol.) 
  a  A  general  name  for  the  history  of  the  steps  by  which 
  any  living  organism  has  acquired  the  morphological  and 
  physiological  characters  which  distinguish  it  a 
  gradual  unfolding  of  successive  phases  of  growth  or 
  development. 
  b  That  theory  of  generation  which  supposes  the  germ  to 
  pre["e]xist  in  the  parent,  and  its  parts  to  be 
  developed,  but  not  actually  formed,  by  the  procreative 
  act  --  opposed  to  epigenesis. 
 
  7.  (Metaph.)  That  series  of  changes  under  natural  law  which 
  involves  continuous  progress  from  the  homogeneous  to  the 
  heterogeneous  in  structure,  and  from  the  single  and  simple 
  to  the  diverse  and  manifold  in  quality  or  function.  The 
  pocess  is  by  some  limited  to  organic  beings;  by  others  it 
  is  applied  to  the  inorganic  and  the  psychical.  It  is  also 
  applied  to  explain  the  existence  and  growth  of 
  institutions,  manners,  language,  civilization,  and  every 
  product  of  human  activity.  The  agencies  and  laws  of  the 
  process  are  variously  explained  by  different  philosophrs 
 
  Evolution  is  to  me  series  with  development. 
  --Gladstone. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  evolution 
  n  1:  a  process  in  which  something  passes  by  degrees  to  a  more 
  advanced  or  mature  stage;  "the  development  of  his  ideas 
  took  many  years";  "the  evolution  of  Greek  civilization"; 
  "the  slow  development  of  her  skill  as  a  writer"  [syn:  {development}] 
  2:  the  sequence  of  events  involved  in  the  evolutionary 
  development  of  a  species  or  taxonomic  group  of  organisms 
  [syn:  {phylogeny},  {phylogenesis}]




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