Associations to the word «Devolve»

DEVOLVE, verb. (obsolete) (transitive) To roll (something) down; to unroll. [15th-19th c.]

DEVOLVE, verb. (intransitive) To be inherited by someone else; to pass down upon the next person in a succession, especially through failure or loss of an earlier holder. [from 16th c.]

DEVOLVE, verb. (transitive) To delegate (a responsibility, duty, etc.) on or upon someone. [from 17th c.]

DEVOLVE, verb. (intransitive) To fall as a duty or responsibility on or upon someone. [from 18th c.]

DEVOLVE, verb. (intransitive) To degenerate; to break down. [from 18th c.]

DEVOLVE, verb. Pass on or delegate to another; "The representative devolved his duties to his aides while he was in the hospital".

DEVOLVE, verb. Be inherited by; "The estate fell to my sister"; "The land returned to the family"; "The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead".

DEVOLVE, verb. Grow worse; "Her condition deteriorated"; "Conditions in the slums degenerated"; "The discussion devolved into a shouting match".