involution

[ in-vuh-loo-shuhn ]

/ ˌɪn vəˈlu ʃən /

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See synonyms for involution on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

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Origin of involution

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin involūtiōn- (stem of involūtiō “a rolling up; a screw, spiral”); see involute, -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM involution

su·per·in·vo·lu·tion, noun

Words nearby involution

involuntary muscle, involute, involuted, involute gear, involute teeth, involution, involutional, involutional melancholia, involutional psychosis, involve, involved

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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 Eyre
Amongst 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 Balfour

It 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

involution

/ (ˌɪnvəˈluːʃən) /

noun

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 powerCompare 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

Medical definitions for involution

involution

[ ĭn′və-lōō′shən ]

A decrease in size of an organ, as of the uterus following childbirth.

The ingrowth and curling inward of a group of cells, as in the formation of a gastrula from a blastula.

A progressive decline or degeneration of normal physiological functioning occurring as a result of the aging process.catagenesis

Other words from involution

in′vo•lu′tion•al adj.

Scientific definitions for involution

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.

involution

Origin of involution

OTHER WORDS FROM involution

Words nearby involution

Words related to involution

How to use involution in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for involution

Derived forms of involution

Medical definitions for involution

Other words from involution

Scientific definitions for involution