involution
an act or instance of involving or entangling; involvement.
the state of being involved.
something complicated.
Mathematics. a function that is its own inverse.
Botany, Zoology.
a rolling up or folding in upon itself.
a part so formed.
Biology. retrograde development; degeneration.
Physiology. regressive changes in the body, as those occurring with old age.
Anthropology, Sociology. growth without evolution, as in a growing agrarian society with increased field labor whose production mechanisms become more complex without increasing yield; diminishing returns.
Grammar. a complex construction in which the subject is separated from its predicate by intervening clauses or phrases.
Origin of involution
1Other words from involution
- su·per·in·vo·lu·tion, noun
Words Nearby involution
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use involution in a sentence
Ecks was executing a series of caricatures illustrating the involution of Hodgkins' face back into a crab-apple.
The Incendiary | W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy(a) involution forms characterised by alterations of shape (Fig. 90).
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique | John William Henry Eyre(b) involution forms characterised by loss of staining power.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique | John William Henry EyreAmongst these the most marked is the formation of the embryonic rim, which is nothing less than the commencement of an involution.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland BalfourIt is very probable that there is one involution to each segment of the body between the front and hind ends of the Oviduct.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland Balfour
British Dictionary definitions for involution
/ (ˌɪnvəˈluːʃən) /
the act of involving or complicating or the state of being involved or complicated
something involved or complicated
zoology degeneration or structural deformation
biology an involute formation or structure
physiol reduction in size of an organ or part, as of the uterus following childbirth or as a result of ageing
an algebraic operation in which a number, variable, expression etc, is raised to a specified power: Compare evolution (def. 5)
grammar an involved construction, such as one in which the subject is separated from the predicate by an additional clause
Derived forms of involution
- involutional, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for involution
[ ĭn′və-lōō′shən ]
A mathematical operation, such as negation, which, when applied to itself, returns the original number.
The ingrowth and curling inward of a group of cells, as in the formation of a gastrula from a blastula.
A decrease in size of an organ, as of the uterus following childbirth.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse