Gadit

devolve

Definitions (3)
1verbTo pass responsibility, power, rights, or duties from a higher level to a lower one, or from a central authority to a local one.
The government plans to devolve more power to regional councils.
The company decided to devolve decision-making to local managers.
Some school systems devolve budget control to individual principals.
2verbTo be passed on to someone else, especially by duty, inheritance, or circumstance.
When the chair resigned, the task devolved on her deputy.
If no one volunteers, the job will devolve upon the newest member.
After his retirement, many of his duties devolved to the assistant director.
3verbTo decline into a simpler, weaker, or worse state.
The discussion quickly devolved into shouting.
Without clear rules, the game can devolve into chaos.
What began as a debate devolved into personal attacks.
Idioms & expressions
devolve into, To gradually turn into something less organized, less serious, or worse.
devolve on, To become someone's responsibility.
Word Origin
Language
Latin
Original word
dēvolvere
Word parts
dē- (down, away) + volvere (to roll, turn)
Originally meant
to roll down; to pass something onward or downward
Background
The word came into English through Latin and first carried the idea of something rolling or being transferred downward. From that image, it developed the modern senses of passing power or duty to another level, and of slipping into a worse state.
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