| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
evolution (ˌiːvəˈluːʃən) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | biology See also natural selection a gradual change in the characteristics of a population of animals or plants over successive generations: accounts for the origin of existing species from ancestors unlike them |
| 2. | a gradual development, esp to a more complex form: the evolution of modern art |
| 3. | the act of throwing off, as heat, gas, vapour, etc |
| 4. | a pattern formed by a series of movements or something similar |
| 5. | Compare involution an algebraic operation in which the root of a number, expression, etc, is extracted |
| 6. | military an exercise carried out in accordance with a set procedure or plan |
| [C17: from Latin ēvolūtiō an unrolling, from ēvolvere to | |
| evo'lutionary | |
| —adj | |
| evo'lutional | |
| —adj | |