In its earliest uses in the 15th century, devolve was about literally rolling down: it meant "to roll onward or downward."

DEVOLVE definition: to transfer or delegate (a duty, responsibility, etc.) to or upon another; pass on. See examples of devolve used in a sentence.

Phrasal verb devolve something to someone (Definition of devolved from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

4 meanings: 1. to pass or cause to pass to a successor or substitute, as duties, power, etc 2. law (of an estate, etc) to pass.... Click for more definitions.

1. To pass on or delegate to another: The senator devolved the duties of office upon a group of aides. 2. Archaic To cause to roll onward or downward.

When things devolve, they deteriorate, degenerate, fall apart, go to the dogs, and generally end up worse. When a classroom gets loud and rowdy, a teacher might say the class has devolved. There is …

Definition of devolve verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.