develop
[dih-vel-uh p]
- to bring out the capabilities or possibilities of; bring to a more advanced or effective state: to develop natural resources; to develop one's musical talent.
- to cause to grow or expand: to develop one's muscles.
- to elaborate or expand in detail: to develop a theory.
- to bring into being or activity; generate; evolve.
- Drafting. to transfer the details of (a more or less two-dimensional design, pattern, or the like) from one surface, especially one that is prismatic or cylindrical, onto another, usually planar, in such a way that the distances between points remain the same.
- Biology.
- to cause to go through the process of natural evolution from a previous and lower stage.
- to cause to progress from an embryonic to an adult form.
- Mathematics. to express in an extended form, as in a series.
- Music. to unfold, by various technical means, the inherent possibilities of (a theme).
- Photography.
- to render visible (the latent image on an exposed film or the like).
- to treat (an exposed film or the like) with chemicals so as to render the latent image visible.
- Chess. to bring (a piece) into effective play, especially during the initial phase of a game when pieces are moved from their original position on the board: He developed his rook by castling.
- Mining. to prepare (a new mine) for working by digging access openings and building necessary structures.
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- to grow into a more mature or advanced state; advance; expand: She is developing into a good reporter.
- to come gradually into existence or operation; be evolved.
- to be disclosed; become evident or manifest: The plot of the novel developed slowly.
- to undergo developing, as a photographic film.
- Biology.
- to progress from an embryonic to an adult form.
- to progress from earlier to later stages of ontogeny or phylogeny.
- to reach sexual maturity.
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Origin of develop
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for developed
Contemporary Examples
Rates are thought to be similar in developed countries around the world.
Four weeks after the injections, all 20 of the participants had developed the antibodies needed to stave off the infection.
Family members say he developed also liver cancer after his capture.
Similar reinforced plinths were developed by the Getty museums in Los Angeles to absorb the seismic movements there.
At this point, the developed world takes the internet for granted.
Historical Examples
This system, once invented, was developed during thousands of years.
Ancient ManHendrik Willem van Loon
In no such spirit has it developed its full and independent sovereignty.
Demarest was seriously disturbed by the situation that had developed.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
As a matter of fact, it developed that he knew nothing whatever of ground-squirrels.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
Allis Porter's perceptions had been developed to an extraordinary degree.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
develop
- to come or bring to a later or more advanced or expanded stage; grow or cause to grow gradually
- (tr) to elaborate or work out in detail
- to disclose or unfold (thoughts, a plot, etc) gradually or (of thoughts, etc) to be gradually disclosed or unfolded
- to come or bring into existence; generate or be generatedhe developed a new faith in God
- (intr often foll by from) to follow as a result (of); ensue (from)a row developed following the chairman's remarks
- (tr) to contract (a disease or illness)
- (tr) to improve the value or change the use of (land), as by building
- (tr) to exploit or make available the natural resources of (a country or region)
- (tr) photog
- to treat (film, plate, or paper previously exposed to light, or the latent image in such material) with chemical solutions in order to produce a visible image
- to process (photographic material) in order to produce negatives and prints
- biology to progress or cause to progress from simple to complex stages in the growth of an individual or the evolution of a species
- (tr) to elaborate upon (a musical theme) by varying the melody, key, etc
- (tr) maths to expand (a function or expression) in the form of a series
- (tr) geometry to project or roll out (a surface) onto a plane without stretching or shrinking any element
- chess to bring (a piece) into play from its initial position on the back rank
- (tr) obsolete to disclose or reveal
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Word Origin
C19: from Old French desveloper to unwrap, from des- dis- 1 + veloper to wrap; see envelop
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for developed
develop
v.
1650s, "unroll, unfold," from French développer, replacing English disvelop (1590s, from Middle French desveloper), both from Old French desveloper "unwrap, unfurl, unveil; reveal the meaning of, explain," from des- "undo" + veloper "wrap up," of uncertain origin, possibly Celtic or Germanic. Modern figurative use is 18c. The photographic sense is from 1845; the real estate sense is from 1890.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
develop
(dĭ-vĕl′əp)- To progress from earlier to later stages of a life cycle.
- To progress from earlier to later or from simpler to more complex stages of evolution.
- To aid in the growth of; strengthen.
- To grow by degrees into a more advanced or mature state.
- To become affected with a disease; contract.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.