evolution definition | Dictionary.com

ev⋅o⋅lu⋅tion

[ev-uh-loo-shuh

n or, especially Brit., ee-vuh-]

–noun

1.	any process of formation or growth; development: the evolution of a language; the evolution of the airplane.

2.	a product of such development; something evolved: The exploration of space is the evolution of decades of research.

3.	Biology. change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.

4.	a process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development, as in social or economic structure or institutions.

5.	a motion incomplete in itself, but combining with coordinated motions to produce a single action, as in a machine.

6.	a pattern formed by or as if by a series of movements: the evolutions of a figure skater.

7.	an evolving or giving off of gas, heat, etc.

8.	Mathematics. the extraction of a root from a quantity. Compare involution (def. 8).

9.	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.

10.	any similar movement, esp. in close order drill.

Origin:
1615–25; < L ēvolūtiōn- (s. of ēvolūtiō) an unrolling, opening, equiv. to ēvolūt(us) (see evolute ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms:

ev⋅o⋅lu⋅tion⋅al, adjective

ev⋅o⋅lu⋅tion⋅al⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. unfolding, change, progression, metamorphosis.

Antonyms:
1. stasis, inactivity, changelessness.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ev·o·lu·tion (ěv'ə-lōō'shən, ē'və-)

A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form. See Synonyms at development.
1. The process of developing.
2. Gradual development.
3. Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species.
4. The historical development of a related group of organisms; phylogeny.
Biology
1. Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species.
2. The historical development of a related group of organisms; phylogeny.
A movement that is part of a set of ordered movements.
Mathematics The extraction of a root of a quantity.

[Latin ēvolūtiō, ēvolūtiōn-, from ēvolūtus, past participle of ēvolvere, to unroll; see evolve.]
ev'o·lu'tion·al, ev'o·lu'tion·ar'y (-shə-něr'ē) adj., ev'o·lu'tion·ar'i·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : evolution

Spanish: evolución, desarrollo,

German: die Entwicklung,

Japanese: 発展

More Translations »

evolution

A theory first proposed in the nineteenth century by Charles Darwin, according to which the Earth's species have changed and diversified through time under the influence of natural selection. Life on Earth is thought to have evolved in three stages. First came chemical evolution, in which organic molecules were formed. This was followed by the development of single cells capable of reproducing themselves. This stage led to the development of complex organisms capable of sexual reproduction. Evolution is generally accepted as fact by scientists today, although debates continue over the precise mechanisms involved in the process. (See mutation, punctuated equilibrium, and creation science.)

Note: The first cell is thought to have been formed when the Earth was less than a billion years old.

Main Entry: evo·lu·tion
Pronunciation: "ev-&-'lü-sh&n also "E-v&-
Function: noun
1 : a process of change in acertain direction evolution of benign adenomas into invasive carcinoma —Journal of the American MedicalAssociation>
2 a : the historical development of a biological group (as a race or species) :

PHYLOGENY

b : a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are dueto modifications in successive generations —evo·lu·tion·ari·ly /-sh&-"ner-&-lE/ adverb —evo·lu·tion·ary /-sh&-"ner-E/ adjective

evolution ev·o·lu·tion (ěv'ə-l&oomacr;'shən, ē'və-)
n.

A continuing process of change from one state or condition to another or from one form to another.
The theory that groups of organisms change with passage of time, mainly as a result of natural selection, so that descendants differ morphologically and physiologically from their ancestors.

evolution (ěv'ə-l

'shən) Pronunciation Key

The process by which species of organisms arise from earlier life forms and undergo change over time through natural selection. The modern understanding of the origins of species is based on the theories of Charles Darwin combined with a modern knowledge of genetics based on the work of Gregor Mendel. Darwin observed there is a certain amount of variation of traits or characteristics among the different individuals belonging to a population. Some of these traits confer fitness—they allow the individual organism that possesses them to survive in their environment better than other individuals who do not possess them and to leave more offspring. The offspring then inherit the beneficial traits, and over time the adaptive trait spreads through the population. In twentieth century, the development of the the science of genetics helped explain the origin of the variation of the traits between individual organisms and the way in which they are passed from generation to generation. This basic model of evolution has since been further refined, and the role of genetic drift and sexual selection in the evolution of populations has been recognized. See also natural selection , sexual selection. See Notes at adaptation , Darwin.
A process of development and change from one state to another, as of the universe in its development through time.

Our Living Language : Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection assumed that tiny adaptations occur in organisms constantly over millions of years. Gradually, a new species develops that is distinct from its ancestors. In the 1970s, however, biologists Niles Eldridge and Stephen Jay Gould proposed that evolution by natural selection may not have been such a smooth and consistent process. Based on fossils from around the world that showed the abrupt appearance of new species, Eldridge and Gould suggested that evolution is better described through punctuated equilibrium. That is, for long periods of time species remain virtually unchanged, not even gradually adapting. They are in equilibrium, in balance with the environment. But when confronted with environmental challenges—sudden climate change, for example—organisms adapt quite quickly, perhaps in only a few thousand years. These active periods are punctuations, after which a new equilibrium exists and species remain stable until the next punctuation.

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Mathematics of Evolution
by Fred Hoyle Available now, from the publisher
www.panspermia.org

The Truth about Evolution
Scientific Facts tell Everything! Evolution vs Creation?

www.prophecyandtruth.com

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