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[dih-vel-uh p-muh nt] /dɪˈvɛl əp mənt/
the act or process of developing; growth; progress:
child development; economic development.
a significant consequence or event:
recent developments in the field of science.
a developed or advanced state or form:
Drama reached its highest development in the plays of Shakespeare.
Chess. the act or process of developing chess pieces.
Mining. the work of digging openings, as tunnels, raises, and winzes, to give access to new workings, and of erecting necessary structures.
1745-55; develop + -ment, or < French développement
Related forms
developmental, developmentary, adjective
developmentally, adverb
antidevelopment, adjective
hyperdevelopment, noun
hyperdevelopmental, adjective
nondevelopment, noun
nondevelopmental, adjective
nondevelopmentally, adverb
postdevelopmental, adjective
predevelopment, noun
self-development, noun
subdevelopment, noun
superdevelopment, noun
undevelopment, noun
undevelopmental, adjective
undevelopmentally, adverb
1. expansion, elaboration, growth, evolution; unfolding, opening, maturing, maturation. 3. maturity, ripeness. 5. community, subdivision.
1. deterioration, disintegration. Unabridged
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Examples from the web for developmental
  • Babies who use a walker skip some of this magnificent developmental journey.
  • The second is developmental: how an individual human acquires the power of speech and understanding.
  • Zebrafish embryos are a staple of developmental biology: the transparent eggs allow scientists to study development as it unfolds.
  • Autism is a complicated and heterogeneous developmental disorder marked by problems in language and social behavior.
  • Scientists use this fact to measure treatments that affect the timing of developmental neural plasticity.
  • Eventually, these cells take over the developmental process from the egg.
British Dictionary definitions for developmental


the act or process of growing, progressing, or developing
the product or result of developing
a fact, event, or happening, esp one that changes a situation
an area or tract of land that has been developed
Also called development section. the section of a movement, usually in sonata form, in which the basic musical themes are developed
  1. the process of developing pieces
  2. the manner in which they are developed
  3. the position of the pieces in the early part of a game with reference to their attacking potential or defensive efficiency
Derived Forms
developmental, adjective
developmentally, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for developmental

1849, from development + -al (1). Developmentalist (1862) was a word for "follower of the theory of evolution."




Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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developmental in Medicine

development de·vel·op·ment (dĭ-věl'əp-mənt)

  1. The act of developing.

  2. The state of being developed.

  3. A significant event, occurrence, or change.

  4. The natural progression from a previous, simpler, or embryonic stage to a later, more complex, or adult stage.

de·vel'op·men'tal (-měn'tl) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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