Development - Definition

n 1: act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining; "he
congratulated them on their development of a plan to meet
the emergency"; "they funded research and development"
2: a process in which something passes by degrees to a different
stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage); "the
development of his ideas took many years"; "the evolution of
Greek civilization"; "the slow development of her skill as a
writer" [syn: development, evolution] [ant:
degeneration, devolution]
3: (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; "he proposed an indicator of osseous
development in children" [syn: growth, growing,
maturation, development, ontogeny, ontogenesis] [ant:
nondevelopment]
4: a recent event that has some relevance for the present
situation; "recent developments in Iraq"; "what a revolting
development!"
5: the act of making some area of land or water more profitable
or productive or useful; "the development of Alaskan
resources"; "the exploitation of copper deposits" [syn:
exploitation, development]
6: a district that has been developed to serve some purpose;
"such land is practical for small park developments"
7: a state in which things are improving; the result of
developing (as in the early part of a game of chess); "after
he saw the latest development he changed his mind and became
a supporter"; "in chess your should take care of your
development before moving your queen"
8: processing a photosensitive material in order to make an
image visible; "the development and printing of his pictures
took only two hours" [syn: development, developing]
9: (music) the section of a composition or movement (especially
in sonata form) where the major musical themes are developed
and elaborated