Developments

How to spell developments

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce developments

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does developments mean?

1. nounNew events, stages, or changes as a situation unfolds.
2. nounAreas of land that have been built on or improved, such as housing estates.

Developments in a sentence

• The reporter promised to update viewers on the latest developments in the case.

• Two new housing developments are planned for the edge of town.

• Recent developments in battery technology have lowered the cost of electric cars.

• The council approved commercial developments along the riverfront.

Where does developments come from?

Language of origin: French

This word descends from the verb 'develop', which English borrowed in the 1600s from the French desveloper, meaning 'to unwrap' or 'to unfold'. That French verb paired the prefix des- (expressing reversal) with veloper, an old word meaning 'to wrap or envelop', so the literal idea was to remove a wrapping and reveal what lay inside. From this notion of unfolding grew the figurative sense of things gradually unfolding or growing, and by the 1700s 'development' named the process or result of growth. The plural 'developments' commonly refers to new events or stages as a situation unfolds. The spelling trap lives in the middle and end: there is no 'e' after the 'p' (it is develop-ment, not develope-ment), and the schwa in '-ment' tempts some writers toward '-mant'.

How the word is built

• de- (un-/reversal of)
• -velop- (from Old French veloper: to wrap up)
• -ment (noun-forming suffix)
• -s (plural)