development

[dih-vel-uh p-muh nt] /dɪˈvɛl əp mənt/
noun
1.
the act or process of developing; growth; progress:
child development; economic development.
2.
a significant consequence or event:
recent developments in the field of science.
3.
a developed state or form:
Drama reached its highest development in the plays of Shakespeare.
4.
Music. the part of a movement or composition in which a theme or themes are developed.
5.
a large group of private houses or of apartment houses, often of similar design, constructed as a unified community, especially by a real-estate developer or government organization.
6.
Chess. the act or process of developing chess pieces.
7.
Mining. the work of digging openings, as tunnels, raises, and winzes, to give access to new workings, and of erecting necessary structures.
Origin
1745-55; develop + -ment, or < French développement
Related forms
developmental, developmentary, adjective
developmentally, adverb
antidevelopment, adjective
hyperdevelopment, noun
hyperdevelopmental, adjective
nondevelopment, noun
nondevelopmental, adjective
nondevelopmentally, adverb
postdevelopmental, adjective
predevelopment, noun
self-development, noun
subdevelopment, noun
superdevelopment, noun
undevelopment, noun
undevelopmental, adjective
undevelopmentally, adverb
Synonyms
1. expansion, elaboration, growth, evolution; unfolding, opening, maturing, maturation. 3. maturity, ripeness. 5. community, subdivision.
Antonyms
1. deterioration, disintegration.
Examples from the web for development
  • The development of nomadic pastoralism was a true advance in the evolution of human civilization.
  • But this a statist means to a capitalist ends, designed to maximize long-term growth and encourage development.
  • These articles follow debt, defaults and development.
  • Identify the changes in urban growth resulting from the development of edge cities.
  • Free, imaginative play is crucial for normal social, emotional and cognitive development.
  • Now it's a sanctuary for wildlife, an island in Denver's encroaching development.
  • Today its primary and continuing objective is the promotion of economic development in its member countries.
  • Such variation can lead to the development of plants better able to survive and adapt to environmental changes.
  • As your child grows, it's fun to track their development on a growth chart.
  • Diversity and development might seem to sit oddly together.
British Dictionary definitions for development

development

/dɪˈvɛləpmənt/
noun
1.
the act or process of growing, progressing, or developing
2.
the product or result of developing
3.
a fact, event, or happening, esp one that changes a situation
4.
an area or tract of land that has been developed
5.
Also called development section. the section of a movement, usually in sonata form, in which the basic musical themes are developed
6.
(chess)
  1. the process of developing pieces
  2. the manner in which they are developed
  3. the position of the pieces in the early part of a game with reference to their attacking potential or defensive efficiency
Derived Forms
developmental, adjective
developmentally, adverb
Word Origin and History for development
n.

1756, "an unfolding;" see develop + -ment. Of property, with the sense "bringing out the latent possibilities," from 1885 (Pickering's glossary of Americanisms, 1816, has betterments "The improvements made on new lands, by cultivation, and the erection of buildings, &c."). Meaning "state of economic advancement" is from 1902. Meaning "advancement through progressive stages" is 1836.

development in Medicine

development de·vel·op·ment (dĭ-věl'əp-mənt)
n.

  1. The act of developing.

  2. The state of being developed.

  3. A significant event, occurrence, or change.

  4. The natural progression from a previous, simpler, or embryonic stage to a later, more complex, or adult stage.

de·vel'op·men'tal (-měn'tl) adj.
development in Technology


The process of analysis, design, coding and testing software.