development

Noun

• (music) the section of a composition or movement (especially in sonata form) where the major musical themes are developed and elaborated

• processing a photosensitive material in order to make an image visible
  • the development and printing of his pictures took only two hours
    

• 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
    

• a district that has been developed to serve some purpose
  • such land is practical for small park developments
    

• 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
    

• a recent event that has some relevance for the present situation
  • recent developments in Iraq
    
  • what a revolting development!
    

• (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
    

• 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
    

• 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
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  developing , exploitation , growth , growing , maturation , ontogeny , ontogenesis , evolution
• Antonyms: 
  nondevelopment , degeneration , devolution