devolve

****************************************************************
Introducing WORD SWEEP!, the first board game to feature Merriam-Webster 
definitions! Enjoy hours of challenging fun. Try it at:
http://www.wordsweep.com 
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for January 21 is: 

devolve   \dih-VAHLV\   verb
          1 a : to pass by transmission or succession  b : to fall or be passed 
usually as a responsibility or obligation 
     2 : to come by or as if by flowing down
   *3 : to degenerate through a gradual change or evolution

Example sentence:
          Our book club's discussions used to be thought-provoking literary 
debates, but lately they've devolved into gossip sessions.
 

Did you know?
          "Devolve" evolved from a combination of Latin "volvere," a word that 
means "to roll," and the prefix "de-," meaning "down." (Other words that 
revolve around "volvere" are the five other words containing "-vol-" found in 
this paragraph.) Knowing which preposition to use with "devolve" can seem a bit 
involved, but it's really not all that convoluted. Responsibility or rights 
devolve "on," "upon," or "to" someone. When something comes into a present 
state by flowing down from a source, either literally or figuratively, we say 
"devolve from," as in "customs that devolve from old beliefs." And when the 
devolving is a downward evolution to a lower state we say "devolves into" (or 
sometimes "devolves to"), as in "order devolves into chaos." 





You Are Subscribed As: gclw-mw-wod7@xxxxxxxxx

To unsubscribe, please click here:
http://www.drhinternet.net/mw/u/966408/568f14b4ab4f050b/N457L6

To change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:
http://mw.drhinternet.net/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2007 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102