devolve

One entry found for devolve.

Main Entry: de·volve
Pronunciation: di-'välv, -'volv, dE-
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): de·volved; de·volv·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin devolvere, from de- + volvere to roll -- more at VOLUBLE
transitive verb : to pass on (as responsibility, rights, or powers) from one person or entity to another <devolving to western Europe full responsibility for its own defense -- Christopher Lane>
intransitive verb
1 a : to pass by transmission or succession <the estate devolved on a distant cousin> b : to fall or be passed usually as a responsibility or obligation <the responsibility for breadwinning has devolved increasingly upon women -- Barbara Ehrenreich>
2 : to come by or as if by flowing down <his allegedly subversive campaigns...devolve from his belief in basic American rights -- Frank Deford>
3 : to degenerate through a gradual change or evolution <where order devolves into chaos -- Johns Hopkins Magazine>