evolution

See also: Evolution, évolution, and e-volution

English

Wikiversity

Etymology

Latin ēvolūtiō, ēvolūtiōnis (“the act of unrolling, unfolding or opening (of a book)”), from ēvolūtus, perfect passive participle of ēvolvō (“unroll, unfold”), from ex + volvō (“roll”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /ˌiːvəˈljuːʃən/, /ˌiːvəˈluːʃən/
• (US) (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /ˌɛvoˈluʃɪn/, /ˌɛvəˈluʃən/
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter)

  Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

evolution (plural evolutions)

1. The process of accumulating change.

   Among other forms of change, the evolution of transportation has involved modification, diversification, convergence, divergence, hybridization, differentiation, and naturally, selection.

2. A progression of change, often branching and diversifying in the process.

   The ongoing evolution of Lolita subculture fashion includes, among other things, the ballet style.

3. (general) Gradual directional change especially one leading to a more advanced or complex form; growth; development.

   The evolution of the universe began with a bang.

   • 1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene:

     There are some examples of cultural evolution in birds and monkeys, but […] it is our own species that really shows what cultural evolution can do.

   • 2005, Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth:

     Suffering has a noble purpose: the evolution of consciousness and the burning up of the ego.

4. (biology) The change in the genetic composition of a population over successive generations.
   • 1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene:

     [Some books have] made the erroneous assumption that the important thing in evolution is the good of the species (or the group) rather than the good of the individual (or the gene).

   • Template:quote-magazine
5. (chemistry) The act or an instance of giving off gas; emission.
6. (mathematics) The extraction of a root from a quantity.
7. (military) One of a series of ordered movements.
8. (dance, sports) A turning movement of the body.
   • 1869, Anon., Miss Langley's Will:

     It was a critical instant: the pirouette -- it would fail, she feared. … the rapid whirl achieved in exact time, the whole evolution executed to perfection.

   • 1825, Theodore Edward Hook, Sayings and Doings: Passion and principle:

     … as he beheld the tenfold pirouette of a lovely girl, which presented to the public eye the whole of her form and figure; … to praise the dexterity and ease with which the unfortunate and degraded creature had performed the ungraceful evolution, the only merit of which, is the gross exposition of person, at which modesty shudders […]

   • 1863, Knightley Willia Horlock, The master of the hounds:

     "Look now, that pirouette -- my stars! how Beauchamp would stare to see his darling perform such an evolution!"

   • 1869, William Clarke, The boy's own book:

     By this operation each foot will describe an arc or segment of a circle. … This evolution is performed sometimes on one foot, sometimes on the other …

Antonyms

• (accumulation of change): stagnation
• (gradual process): revolution
• (survival through adaptation): extinction

Derived terms

• biological evolution
• coevolution, co-evolution
• cosmic evolution
• cultural evolution
• deistic evolution
• emergent evolution
• evolution denial
• evolution denier
• evolutionary

• genetic evolution
• macroevolution
• microevolution
• organic evolution
• planetary evolution
• social evolution
• stellar evolution
• theistic evolution
• unevolutionary

Related terms

• evolute
• evolutional
• evolutionarily
• evolutionally
• evolutionary
• evolutionism
• evolutionist
• evolutionistic
• evolutionistically
• evolutive
• evolutor, Evolutor
• evoluture
• evolvable
• evolvableness

• evolvability
• evolve
• evolvement
• evolver
• evolving
• macroevolutional
• macroevolutionary
• macroevolutionism
• macroevolutionist
• microevolutional
• microevolutionary
• microevolutionism
• microevolutionist

Translations

general: a gradual process of development

• Arabic: تَطَوُّر m (taṭawwur)
• Armenian: էվոլյուցիա (hy) (ēvolyucʻia), զարգացում (hy) (zargacʻum)
• Asturian: evolución f
• Bulgarian: разви́тие (bg) n (razvítie)
• Catalan: evolució (ca) f
• Czech: evoluce, vývoj (cs)
• Danish: udvikling (da) c
• Dutch: evolutie (nl) f
• Esperanto: evoluo
• Estonian: evolutsioon
• Finnish: evoluutio (fi), kehitys (fi), muutos (fi)
• French: évolution (fr) f
• German: Evolution (de) f
• Hawaiian: liliuoli
• Hebrew: התפתחות f, השתלשלות f
• Hindi: विकास (hi) (vikās)
• Italian: evoluzione (it) f
• Javanese: épolusi, kamajengan
• Latin: seriēs f, prōgressus m
• Latvian: evolūcija f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Lithuanian: evoliucija f
• Lombard: evoluzion
• Malay: evolusi, ubah ansur
• Maltese: evoluzzjoni f
• Maori: whanaketanga
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: evolusjon m

  Nynorsk: evolusjon m

• Polish: ewolucja (pl) f
• Portuguese: evolução (pt) f
• Romanian: evoluție (ro) f
• Russian: эволю́ция (ru) f (evoljúcija), разви́тие (ru) n (razvítije)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: evolúcija (sh) f

• Slovak: evolúcia f
• Spanish: evolución (es) f
• Swedish: evolution (sv) c, utveckling (sv) c
• Tagalog: pagsunlad
• Welsh: esblygiad (cy) m

biology: change in the genetic composition of a population over time

• Afrikaans: evolusie
• Albanian: evolucion (sq) f
• Arabic: تَطَوُّر m (taṭawwur)
• Armenian: էվոլյուցիա (hy) (ēvolyucʻia)
• Asturian: evolución f
• Azeri: təkamül (az)
• Belarusian: эвалю́цыя f (evaljúcyja)
• Bengali: বিবর্তন (bn) (bibôrtôn)
• Bulgarian: еволю́ция (bg) f (evoljúcija)
• Burmese: ဆင့်ကဲဖြစ်စဉ် (my) (hcang.kai:hpraccany)
• Catalan: evolució (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 進化／进化 (zeon³ faa³), 进化 (zeon³faa³), 演化 (jin²faa³)

  Mandarin: 進化／进化 (zh) (jìnhuà), 进化 (zh) (jìnhuà), 演化 (zh) (yǎnhuà)

  Min Nan: 進化／进化, 进化 (chìn-hòa), 演化 (zh-min-nan) (ián-hòa)

• Czech: evoluce f
• Danish: evolution (da)
• Dutch: evolutie (nl) f
• Esperanto: evoluo
• Estonian: evolutsioon
• Finnish: evoluutio (fi) f
• French: évolution (fr) f
• Georgian: ევოლუცია (evolucia)
• German: Evolution (de) f
• Greek: εξέλιξη (el) (exélixi)
• Hawaiian: liliuewe
• Hebrew: אבולוציה (he) f (evolútzya)
• Hindi: विकास (hi) f (vikās)
• Hungarian: evolúció (hu)
• Icelandic: þróunarkenningin
• Indonesian: evolusi (id)
• Irish: éabhlóid f
• Italian: evoluzione (it) f
• Japanese: 進化 (ja) (しんか, shinka)
• Karachay-Balkar: эволюция (evoljucija)
• Kazakh: эволюция (évolüsiä)
• Khmer: ការវិវត្តន៍ (kaa vi’voat)
• Korean: 진화 (ko) (jinhwa) (進化 (ko))
• Kyrgyz: эволюция (evolyutsiya)
• Lao: ວິວັດທະນາການ (lo)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: ēvolūtiō vītae f
• Latvian: evolūcija f
• Lithuanian: evoliucija f
• Lombard: evoluzion
• Macedonian: еволуција f (evolucija)
• Malay: evolusi, ubah ansur
• Maltese: evoluzzjoni f
• Manx: aafilley m
• Mongolian: эволюци (evoljüci)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: evolusjon m

  Nynorsk: evolusjon m

• Persian: تکامل (fa) (takâmol)
• Polish: ewolucja (pl) f
• Portuguese: evolução (pt) f
• Romanian: evoluție (ro) f
• Russian: эволю́ция (ru) f (evoljúcija), разви́тие (ru) n (razvítije)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: еволу́ција f

  Roman: evolúcija (sh) f

• Sinhalese: පරිණාමය (pariṇāmaya)
• Slovak: evolúcia f
• Slovene: evolucija (sl) f
• Spanish: evolución (es) f
• Swedish: evolution (sv) c
• Tagalog: ebolusyon (tl), kasunlaran, pagsunlad
• Tajik: таҳаввул (tahavvul)
• Tatar: эволюция (ewolyutsiyä)
• Thai: วิวัฒนาการ (th) (wí-wát-tá-naa-gaan)
• Turkish: evrim (tr)
• Turkmen: ewolýusiýa
• Ukrainian: еволю́ція f (evoljúcija)
• Urdu: ارتقاء (irtiqā')
• Uzbek: evolutsiya
• Vietnamese: tiến hóa (vi) (進化)
• Votic: evoľuutsija
• Welsh: esblygiad (cy) m
• Yakut: эволюция (evolutsiya)
• Yiddish: עוואָלוציע (evolutsye)

mathematics: the extraction of a root from a quantity

• Bulgarian: извличане n (izvličane)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: извлече́ние ко́рня n (izvlečénije kórnja)

military: One of a series of ordered movements

• Bulgarian: престрояване (bg) n (prestrojavane)
• Portuguese: evolução (pt) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: перестрое́ние (ru) n (perestrojénije), манёвр (ru) m (manjóvr), передвиже́ние (ru) n (peredvižénije), эволю́ция (ru) f (evoljúcija) (obsolete or ironical)

turning movement of the body

• Portuguese: evolução (pt) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 진화 (ko) (進化, jinhwa)
• Novial:
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} evolución (es)
• Tagalog: ^{(please verify)} ebolusyon (tl)

See also

• Darwinism

Further reading

• “evolution”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “evolution”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

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Swedish

Noun

evolution c

1. evolution; development
2. (biology) evolution

Declension

Declension of evolution
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	evolution	evolutionen	evolutioner	evolutionerna
Genitive	evolutions	evolutionens	evolutioners	evolutionernas

See also

• utveckling

Related terms

• evolutionär