evolution: Meaning and Definition of
ev•o•lu•tion
Pronunciation: (ev"u-l'shun or, esp. Brit., ē"vu-), [key]
— n.
- any process of formation or growth; development: the evolution of a language; the evolution of the airplane.
- a product of such development; something evolved: The exploration of space is the evolution of decades of research.
- change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.
- a process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development, as in social or economic structure or institutions.
- a motion incomplete in itself, but combining with coordinated motions to produce a single action, as in a machine.
- a pattern formed by or as if by a series of movements: the evolutions of a figure skater.
- an evolving or giving off of gas, heat, etc.
- the extraction of a root from a quantity. Cf. involution (def. 8).
- a movement or one of a series of movements of troops, ships, etc., as for disposition in order of battle or in line on parade.
- any similar movement, esp. in close order drill.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.