Advances

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Movement toward a goal or improvement in any field
2. Forward steps taken to achieve a superior standing or condition
3. The realization of progress or forward development in a particular area ; the act of moving forward or making a forward approach toward something

Etymology: The noun and verb "advance" both come from a Latin phrase meaning "from before." Latin "ab ante" combined "ab" ("from") and "ante" ("before"), and by way of Vulgar Latin "abanteāre" it became Old French "avancier," meaning to move something forward. English borrowed the idea through Anglo-Norman "avauncier," and Middle English then wrote it as "avauncen" or "avancen." The English spelling picked up its "d" much later, and not from anything in the original. Writers added it by analogy to Latin "ad-," as in the prefix found in words like "admit," so the form that looks like it contains "ad" was really reshaped by a different prefix. French did the same thing with "advancer." The plural "advances" is simply the noun form of "advance," used for steps taken toward someone or something, or for payments made before they are due. Its sense of steady forward movement is the same old idea of going before, now applied to motion in space.

Synonyms: progress, proceeds, moves forward, gains, improves

Antonyms: setbacks, retreats, declines, regressions, failures