entry
development
/dɪˈvɛləpmənt/Growth, unfolding, or progressive change
From Latin de- (away from) + French / Old French velop (to wrap).
from Old French desvelopemens (“unrolling”). By surface analysis, develop + -ment. First attested in 1756. ===...
from French développement
from French développement
Word Ancestry
from Old French desvelopemens (“unrolling”). By surface analysis, develop + -ment. First attested in 1756. ===...
from French développement
from French développement
This word began as something you could almost see with your hands: a rolled-up thing being spread open on a table. French gave English développement, and the older French form desvelopemens literally meant “unrolling,” which is a wonderfully physical way to describe growth. That image survived when English first recorded the word in 1756, and then it started wandering into all sorts of rooms — biology, chess, music, economics, even property speculation. The prefix de- brings the little tug of pulling away or out, while the rest of the word keeps the sense of an object coming undone, revealing what was hidden inside. That’s why development feels less like sudden invention than like a curtain lifting, one crease at a time.
The Story
This word began as something you could almost see with your hands: a rolled-up thing being spread open on a table. French gave English développement, and the older French form desvelopemens literally meant “unrolling,” which is a wonderfully physical way to describe growth. That image survived when English first recorded the word in 1756, and then it started wandering into all sorts of rooms — biology, chess, music, economics, even property speculation. The prefix de- brings the little tug of pulling away or out, while the rest of the word keeps the sense of an object coming undone, revealing what was hidden inside. That’s why development feels less like sudden invention than like a curtain lifting, one crease at a time.
Kin & Kindred
From 'de-'·away from, off, reversal/un-
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'velop'·to wrap, roll, or unroll
Derived Terms
English words from this root