development
1. [ noun ] act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining
Examples:

"he congratulated them on their development of a plan to meet the emergency" "they funded research and development"

Related terms: improvement advancement broadening product_development elaboration develop
2. [ noun ] a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage)
Synonyms: evolution
Examples:

"the development of his ideas took many years" "the evolution of Greek civilization" "the slow development of her skill as a writer"

Related terms: degeneration process growth deepening unfolding assibilation evolve
3. [ noun ] the act of making some area of land or water more profitable or productive or useful
Synonyms: exploitation
Examples:

: "the development of Alaskan resources" "the exploitation of copper deposits"

Related terms: use commercialization water_development overexploitation land_development capitalization electrification unitisation develop exploit
4. [ noun ] a recent event that has some relevance for the present situation
Examples:

"recent developments in Iraq" "what a revolting development!"

Related terms: change phenomenon turn complication break
5. [ noun ] (geography) a district that has been developed to serve some purpose
Examples:

"such land is practical for small park developments"

Related terms: territory district housing_development housing_estate develop
6. [ noun ] a state in which things are improving; the result of developing (as in the early part of a game of chess)
Examples:

"he saw the latest development" "in chess your should take care of your development before moving your queen"

Related terms: improvement underdevelopment chess
7. [ noun ] (biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
Synonyms: growth growing maturation ontogenesis ontogeny
Examples:

"he proposed an indicator of osseous development in children"

Related terms: nondevelopment organic_process proliferation rooting blossoming culture cohesion fructification auxesis cenogenesis gametogenesis germination spermatogenesis intussusception infructescence suppression amelogenesis life_cycle foliation angiogenesis apposition juvenescence psychomotor_development morphogenesis myelinisation neurogenesis psychosexual_development masculinization dentition teratogenesis oogenesis cytogenesis palingenesis vegetation gastrulation isometry biology grow grow mature age
8. [ noun ] processing a photosensitive material in order to make an image visible
Synonyms: developing
Examples:

"the development and printing of his pictures took only two hours"

Related terms: processing underdevelopment develop
Similar spelling:   developmental
  develop_into
  developer
  developed
  developing