devolvement

/dɪˈvɑlvmənt/
noun
  1. The process or act of transferring power, responsibility, or authority from a central body to a lower level or local branch.
    • The company's devolvement of hiring decisions to team leaders improved efficiency.
    • The devolvement of educational funding to local districts gave schools more flexibility.
    • Citizens debated the devolvement of police powers to community boards.
  2. The process of gradually passing into a worse or simpler state; deterioration.
    • The devolvement of their relationship from friendship to rivalry was painful to watch.
    • The devolvement of the neighborhood into a high-crime area saddened longtime residents.
    • Historians studied the devolvement of the empire from a powerful state to a collection of weak provinces.
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