v.
Pronunciation: di- ' välv, - ' vo ̇ lv, d ē -
Function: verb
Inflected Form: de · volved ; de · volv · ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin devolvere, from de- + volvere to roll ― more at VOLUBLE
Date: 15th century
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 devolve s into chaos ― Johns Hopkins Mag. >