See devolve in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for devolve meaning in English (6.7kB)
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "dēvolvō",
"4": "",
"5": "roll or tumble off or down"
},
"expansion": "Latin dēvolvō (“roll or tumble off or down”)",
"name": "bor"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "la",
"2": "dē"
},
"expansion": "dē",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "la",
"2": "volvō",
"3": "",
"4": "roll"
},
"expansion": "volvō (“roll”)",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Borrowed from Latin dēvolvō (“roll or tumble off or down”), from dē + volvō (“roll”).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "devolves",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "devolving",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "devolved",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "devolved",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "devolve (third-person singular simple present devolves, present participle devolving, simple past and past participle devolved)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0",
"word": "devolution"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1744, Mark Akenside, The Pleasures of the Imagination, section II",
"text": "every headlong stream / Devolves its winding waters to the main.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1830, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Character",
"text": "He spake of virtue […] And with […] a lack-lustre dead-blue eye, Devolved his rounded periods.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To roll (something) down; to unroll."
],
"id": "en-devolve-en-verb-qjukfFRO",
"links": [
[
"roll",
"roll"
],
[
"unroll",
"unroll"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(obsolete, transitive) To roll (something) down; to unroll."
],
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "7 63 13 3 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1932, Duff Cooper, Talleyrand, Folio Society, published 2010, page 4",
"text": "an accident […] rendered him permanently lame, and therefore unfitted him, in the opinion of his parents, to inherit his father's many titles, which, it was then arranged, should devolve upon his younger brother.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"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."
],
"id": "en-devolve-en-verb-D85qZwC3",
"links": [
[
"inherited",
"inherited"
],
[
"upon",
"upon#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(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."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "3 81 4 0 12",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "pada se na",
"sense": "to be inherited by someone",
"word": "пада се на"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 81 4 0 12",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "perexodítʹ",
"sense": "to be inherited by someone",
"word": "переходи́ть"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1704, Joseph Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy",
"text": "They devolved their whole authority into the hands of the council of sixty.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1756, Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful",
"text": "An artful man became popular, the people had power in their hands, and they devolved a considerable share of their power upon their favourite […].",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2020 August 26, “Network News: Shapps orders rapid review of flash flood resilience from NR”, in Rail, page 8",
"text": "Shapps retains responsibility for rail safety in Scotland, with only the operation of track and train devolved to Transport Scotland.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To delegate (a responsibility, duty, etc.) on or upon someone."
],
"id": "en-devolve-en-verb-zYPiGLSB",
"links": [
[
"delegate",
"delegate"
],
[
"on",
"on#English"
],
[
"upon",
"upon#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To delegate (a responsibility, duty, etc.) on or upon someone."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "6 15 61 0 18",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "predavam",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "предавам"
},
{
"_dis1": "6 15 61 0 18",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "prehvǎrljam",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "прехвърлям"
},
{
"_dis1": "6 15 61 0 18",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "přenést"
},
{
"_dis1": "6 15 61 0 18",
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "gadascems",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "გადასცემს"
},
{
"_dis1": "6 15 61 0 18",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "przekazać"
},
{
"_dis1": "6 15 61 0 18",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "przenieść"
},
{
"_dis1": "6 15 61 0 18",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "peredavátʹ",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "передава́ть"
},
{
"_dis1": "6 15 61 0 18",
"code": "sco",
"lang": "Scots",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "devolve"
},
{
"_dis1": "6 15 61 0 18",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "delegar"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": ", Episode 16",
"text": "For the nonce he was rather nonplussed but inasmuch as the duty plainly devolved upon him to take some measures on the subject he pondered suitable ways and means during which Stephen repeatedly yawned."
}
],
"glosses": [
"To fall as a duty or responsibility on or upon someone."
],
"id": "en-devolve-en-verb-0Qo16nmI",
"links": [
[
"on",
"on#English"
],
[
"upon",
"upon#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive) To fall as a duty or responsibility on or upon someone."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "A discussion about politics may devolve into a shouting match."
}
],
"glosses": [
"To degenerate; to break down."
],
"id": "en-devolve-en-verb-2lsSKkRB",
"links": [
[
"degenerate",
"degenerate"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive) To degenerate; to break down."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/dɪˈvɒɫv/",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-devolve.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/17/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-devolve.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-devolve.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/17/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-devolve.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-devolve.wav.ogg",
"tags": [
"Southern-England"
],
"text": "Audio (Southern England)"
}
],
"word": "devolve"
}
{
"categories": [
"English 2-syllable words",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English terms borrowed from Latin",
"English terms derived from Latin",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links",
"English verbs"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "dēvolvō",
"4": "",
"5": "roll or tumble off or down"
},
"expansion": "Latin dēvolvō (“roll or tumble off or down”)",
"name": "bor"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "la",
"2": "dē"
},
"expansion": "dē",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "la",
"2": "volvō",
"3": "",
"4": "roll"
},
"expansion": "volvō (“roll”)",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Borrowed from Latin dēvolvō (“roll or tumble off or down”), from dē + volvō (“roll”).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "devolves",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "devolving",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "devolved",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "devolved",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "devolve (third-person singular simple present devolves, present participle devolving, simple past and past participle devolved)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"word": "devolution"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with obsolete senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"English transitive verbs",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1744, Mark Akenside, The Pleasures of the Imagination, section II",
"text": "every headlong stream / Devolves its winding waters to the main.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1830, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Character",
"text": "He spake of virtue […] And with […] a lack-lustre dead-blue eye, Devolved his rounded periods.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To roll (something) down; to unroll."
],
"links": [
[
"roll",
"roll"
],
[
"unroll",
"unroll"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(obsolete, transitive) To roll (something) down; to unroll."
],
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English intransitive verbs",
"English terms with quotations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1932, Duff Cooper, Talleyrand, Folio Society, published 2010, page 4",
"text": "an accident […] rendered him permanently lame, and therefore unfitted him, in the opinion of his parents, to inherit his father's many titles, which, it was then arranged, should devolve upon his younger brother.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"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."
],
"links": [
[
"inherited",
"inherited"
],
[
"upon",
"upon#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(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."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English transitive verbs",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1704, Joseph Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy",
"text": "They devolved their whole authority into the hands of the council of sixty.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1756, Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful",
"text": "An artful man became popular, the people had power in their hands, and they devolved a considerable share of their power upon their favourite […].",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2020 August 26, “Network News: Shapps orders rapid review of flash flood resilience from NR”, in Rail, page 8",
"text": "Shapps retains responsibility for rail safety in Scotland, with only the operation of track and train devolved to Transport Scotland.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To delegate (a responsibility, duty, etc.) on or upon someone."
],
"links": [
[
"delegate",
"delegate"
],
[
"on",
"on#English"
],
[
"upon",
"upon#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To delegate (a responsibility, duty, etc.) on or upon someone."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English intransitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": ", Episode 16",
"text": "For the nonce he was rather nonplussed but inasmuch as the duty plainly devolved upon him to take some measures on the subject he pondered suitable ways and means during which Stephen repeatedly yawned."
}
],
"glosses": [
"To fall as a duty or responsibility on or upon someone."
],
"links": [
[
"on",
"on#English"
],
[
"upon",
"upon#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive) To fall as a duty or responsibility on or upon someone."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English intransitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "A discussion about politics may devolve into a shouting match."
}
],
"glosses": [
"To degenerate; to break down."
],
"links": [
[
"degenerate",
"degenerate"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive) To degenerate; to break down."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/dɪˈvɒɫv/",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-devolve.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/17/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-devolve.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-devolve.wav.mp3",
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"tags": [
"Southern-England"
],
"text": "Audio (Southern England)"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "pada se na",
"sense": "to be inherited by someone",
"word": "пада се на"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "perexodítʹ",
"sense": "to be inherited by someone",
"word": "переходи́ть"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "predavam",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "предавам"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "prehvǎrljam",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "прехвърлям"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "přenést"
},
{
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "gadascems",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "გადასცემს"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "przekazać"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "przenieść"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "peredavátʹ",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "передава́ть"
},
{
"code": "sco",
"lang": "Scots",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "devolve"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to delegate something to someone else",
"word": "delegar"
}
],
"word": "devolve"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-16 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (e268c0e and 304864d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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