evolutionary

English

Etymology

From evolution + -ary.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˌiːvəˈl(j)uːʃənɹi/, /ˌevəˈl(j)uːʃənɹi/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˌiːvəˈluːʃəneɹi/, /ˌevəˈluːʃəneɹi/

Adjective

evolutionary

  1. Of or relating to the biological theory of evolution.
    • 2013 March 1, Harold J. Morowitz, “The Smallest Cell”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, page 83:
      It is likely that the long evolutionary trajectory of Mycoplasma went from a reductive autotroph to oxidative heterotroph to a cell-wall–defective degenerate parasite. This evolutionary trajectory assumes the simplicity to complexity route of biogenesis, a point of view that is not universally accepted.
    The evolutionary history of marine mammals includes land-dwelling ancestors.
  2. Having formal similarities to the biological theory of evolution.
    • 1974 Dec., “Neoclassical vs. Evolutionary Theories of Economic Growth: Critique and Prospectus”, in The Economic Journal, volume 84, number 336, DOI:10.2307/2230572, JSTOR 2230572, pages 886905:
      The basic elements of an evolutionary growth theory are discussed in Section II.

Derived terms

Translations

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