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⬇️ To get worse 🔄 To transfer duties
to devolve

to devolve

6 6.6
To give duties or power to others
  • verb
  • /dɪˈvɑlv/
  • Formal
translation icon : recaer en
  • Effective political authority will devolve to regions, cities, and even neighborhoods.
  • devolved power
  • devolve responsibility
  • devolve authority

There's this, I guess, devolving of your responsibility as a parent.

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Examples

  • Coupled with this are efforts to devolve responsibility to the front line, encouraging responsiveness to local needs.

    Academic text (2007)

  • When the captain did not, that responsibility devolved upon the lieutenant.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Of course, to devolve responsibility effectively, there must be clear accountability down the line.

    Academic text (1998)

  • No power has yet been devolved to any unit of local government.

    Academic text (1999)

  • A second approach is to devolve power to committees of the relevant religious confessions.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Significant duties cannot devolve to private contractors under Buckley any more than they can be performed by Congress.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Responsibility for the management of state forests was devolved to the semi-autonomous provinces under Law No. 5, 1967.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The 1992 forestry law, in contrast, devolved silvicultural management to the marketplace.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The school decided to devolve decision-making power to the parents' council to better address local concerns.

  • After the merger, the company will devolve some of its responsibilities to the regional offices for more effective management.

Synonyms

to pass
vsto devolve
  • Specialized
266 6.8

To give property or rights to another person

transfers duties and responsibilities often to a lower level or as inheritance
to fall
vsto devolve
152 5.8

Come to someone as a duty

transfers duties deliberately to a lower level or another group
to deconcentrate
vsto devolve
  • Formal
8.3

To move power and services from a central office to local offices

transfers duties and rights to lower-level people or groups rather than just reducing central control

Antonyms

to maintain
931 3.1

Keep an activity, quality, or schedule going over time

to retain
236 3.4

To keep having something such as a job or possession

How Complete

to cede
  • Formal
39 8.2
transfer
355 3.2
to devolve
  • Formal
6 6.6
to delegate
45 3.7
to assign
487 2.7

Surface Forms

devolve infinitive
devolved past
devolved past participle
devolving present participle
devolves third person singular

Morphology

devolve = evolve (semi-transparent) = de + volve

The prefix 'de-' suggests a reversal or downward movement, but the specific meaning of transferring duties is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Devolve comes from the Latin parts de- 'down' and volvere 'to roll', and you can see the same root in evolve and revolve; imagine duties 'rolling down' from a manager to junior staff. That's why to devolve tasks is to pass or transfer them to someone else, often at a lower level.