English
evolve
Evolve comes from Latin ēvolvō ‘unroll, unfold’, from volvō ‘roll’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to turn, wind, round’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-‘to turn, wind, round’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wolwōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvolvō‘roll’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēvolvō‘unroll, unfold’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1677evolve
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-‘to turn, wind, round’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wolwōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvolvō‘roll’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēvolvō‘unroll, unfold’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1677evolve
Earliest quotation: a. 1677, Matthew Hale, The Primitive Origination of Mankind: “The animal soul sooner expands and evolves it self…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to turn, wind, round’
well, walk, wall, valve, vulgar, waltz, helix, divulge, vagrant, wale, gauche, vulgate, iliac, ilium, valise, valvular, 74 more
through Proto-Italic *wolwō
through Latin volvō ‘roll’
volume, revolution, vault, involve, revolt, convoluted, devolution, voluminous, vulva, convolution, involution, voluble, 43 more
through Latin ēvolvō ‘unroll, unfold’
Today it means
verb To move (something) in regular procession through a system.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *welH- / evolve