ˌinvəˈlüshən also -vəlˈyü- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Medieval Latin involution-, involutio envelopment, from Latin, something enveloped, from involutus (past participle of involvere to wrap, envelop) + -ion-, -io -ion
1.
a. : the act or an instance of infolding or entangling : involvement
her subsequent Red involution was probably from idealistic reaction … rather than from Marxist conviction — Wilbur Burton
some involutions of the plot I had quite forgotten — Arnold Bennett
specifically : an involved grammatical construction usually characterized by the insertion of clauses between the subject and predicate
b. : the quality or state of being involved : envelopment , intricacy
his mind … is simple; his syntax lacks involution — Austin Warren
2. : the act or process of raising a quantity or symbol to any assigned power or affecting it with an assigned exponent — opposed to evolution
3.
a. : an inward curvature or penetration
involution of a soil deposit
b. : the formation of a gastrula by ingrowth of cells formed at the dorsal lip
4. : a shrinking or return to a former size
involution of the uterus after pregnancy
5. : the regressive alterations of a body or its parts that are characteristic of the aging process ; specifically : presenile decline marked by a decrease of bodily vigor and in women by the menopause
6. : a relation of a higher type of reality to a lower type (as mind to matter) upon which it depends