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development

Etymology and origin of the English word development

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1756
Ultimate origin
English (develop,-ment)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dɪˈvel.əp.mənt/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English develop + -ment,[2][3] after French développement.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A gradual unfolding, the full working out of the details of something: 1756,[2][4][5] though the HTOED records senses such as “progress, furtherance” from 1724.[6]

Semantic evolution

The biological sense, the growth of an organism, is recorded from 1740.[6] Etymonline dates the internal process of growth to 1796, and advancement through stages to 1836.[2] The sense “disclosure” was used from 1756 to 1851.[6] The development of land or property, bringing out its possibilities for use or profit, is from 1885, and a country's economic development from 1902.[2] The spelling developement is now rare.[3]

Timeline

  • 1724 – progress, furtherance.[6]
  • 1740 – biological growth.[6]
  • 1756 – a gradual unfolding.[2]
  • 1796 – the process of growth.[2]
  • 1836 – advance through stages.[2]
  • 1885 – of property.[2]
  • 1902 – economic development.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act or process of developing.
  2. The state of being developed.
  3. A significant event or change: the latest developments.
  4. A group of houses built by the same developer.
  5. Work to apply a new device or process to production.
  6. (music) The working out of a theme with variation.

Word family

  • developmental
  • developmentally
  • predevelopment
  • develop

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary groups development with evolution and progress, all meaning progression to a more advanced or complex form.[7]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Cite this entry

“Development.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/development. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·