devolve
dih-VOLV
/dɪˈvɒlv/
To transfer or delegate power, authority, or duty from a central governing body to a lower or regional level.
Focuses on the active process or legal act of transferring duties down the institutional hierarchy.
The story behind the word. Formed from Latin 'de-' (down) + 'volvere' (to roll). The word originally described rolling physical objects down a slope before adopting its legal sense of rolling responsibilities downhill.
Word relationships
- delegate: Delegate can refer to assigning minor daily tasks, whereas devolve implies formal structural transfer of authority.
- transfer: Transfer is a general word for moving anything; devolve specifically refers to moving authority down an institutional hierarchy.
- centralize: To pull decision-making authority back to a central national executive.
Commonly confused with
- evolve: Evolve means to develop gradually; devolve in political terms means to pass power down to subnational bodies.
Word family
- devolution (noun): The legal act or system of delegating authority to subnational bodies.
Collocations
- devolve power
- devolve responsibility
- devolve powers to
- devolve authority
Example sentences
- "The central parliament resolved to devolve tax-raising authority to newly elected regional councils." Public Policy
- "When administrative duties devolve upon local officers, public service delivery often becomes more accountable to municipal residents." Administrative Reform
Memory hook
DEVOLVE is power VOLVING (rolling) DOWN (de) to local hands. Roll power down.
When not to use
Do not use 'devolve into' (meaning to deteriorate into chaos) when discussing governance; in political science, 'devolve to' means transferring power.
Fun facts
- In British legal English, when a monarch dies, the crown is said to immediately 'devolve upon' the heir by operation of law.
Related words
Explore more words
degenerate, decentralization, deteriorate, degenerative, relegate, evolve
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