Evolving

How to spell evolving

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce evolving

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does evolving mean?

1. verbDeveloping or changing gradually over time into a different or more advanced form.

Evolving in a sentence

• The company's strategy is constantly evolving to meet new demands.

• Our understanding of the disease is still evolving as research continues.

Where does evolving come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the present participle of 'evolve', which comes from the Latin verb evolvere, meaning literally 'to roll out' or 'to unroll'. It was built from the prefix e- (a form of ex-, meaning 'out') joined to volvere, 'to roll' or 'to turn', the same root that gives us 'revolve', 'involve' and 'volume' (originally a rolled scroll). When English borrowed the word in the 1600s it first carried that literal sense of unrolling or unfolding, as one might open a scroll to reveal its contents. Over time the meaning shifted toward gradual development, the idea of something unfolding step by step into a fuller form, and by the nineteenth century it had become firmly tied to biological change through Darwin's work. The single 'l' and the 'v' before the ending are the spelling points to watch, both inherited directly from that Latin volvere.

How the word is built

• e- (from ex-: out)
• volv (from volvere: to roll)
• -ing (present participle suffix)