Wiktionary

evolutionary

English

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Etymology

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Etymology tree
English evolution
Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.
Proto-Italic *-āzijos
Latin -āriusder.
Middle English -arie
English -ary
English evolutionary

    From evolution + -ary.

    Pronunciation

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    • (UK) IPA(key): /ˌiː.vəˈl(j)uː.ʃən.ɹi/, /ˌɛv.əˈl(j)uː.ʃən.ɹi/
    • (US) IPA(key): /ˌiː.vəˈluː.ʃən.ɛɹ.i/, /ˌɛv.əˈluː.ʃən.ɛɹ.i/

    Adjective

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    evolutionary (not comparable)

    1. Of or relating to the biological theory of evolution.
      The evolutionary history of marine mammals includes land-dwelling ancestors.
      • 2013 March, Harold J. Morowitz, “The Smallest Cell”, in American Scientist‎[1], volume 101, number 2, archived from the original on 4 January 2017, page 83:
        It is likely that the long evolutionary trajectory of Mycoplasma went from a reductive autotroph to oxidative heterotroph to a cell-wall–defective degenerate parasite. This evolutionary trajectory assumes the simplicity to complexity route of biogenesis, a point of view that is not universally accepted.
    2. Having formal similarities to the biological theory of evolution.
      • 1974 Dec., Richard R. Nelson, Sidney G. Winter, “Neoclassical vs. Evolutionary Theories of Economic Growth: Critique and Prospectus”, in The Economic Journal, volume 84, number 336, →DOI, →JSTOR, pages 886–905:
        The basic elements of an evolutionary growth theory are discussed in Section II.

    Synonyms

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    Antonyms

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    Derived terms

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    Translations

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