Definition of "devolution" []

• A passing down or descent through successive stages of time or a process. (noun)
• Transference, as of rights or qualities, to a successor. (noun)
• Delegation of authority or duties to a subordinate or substitute. (noun)
• A transfer of powers from a central government to local units. (noun)
• Biology Degeneration. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "GeorgeBurnsWasRight: Wouldn't the term devolution be more appropriate than evolution to"
• "This last option is known as "devolution plus" or, at its most ambitious, "devolution max"."
• "The creation of this new "21st Century devolution" is as good as a time as any to ask for the real opinion of the Scottish people."