Develop

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /dɪˈvɛl.əp/

Definitions

1. To undergo a process of growth or advancement while also referring to the creation, production, or enhancement of something over time
2. To experience gradual growth or improvement while simultaneously being involved in the process of creating or producing an idea, product, or skill
3. To begin to grow or change over time ; to cause something new to come into existence or advance ; to cause a latent quality or idea to become apparent

Etymology: The modern sense of "develop" grew out of a picture of an egg. In the 17th century, people believed an egg already contained the animal in miniature, and that hatching meant the creature grew larger and shed its wrappings. The word's older sense was literal unwrapping: French "développer" meant to unfold or unroll, and it came from Old French "desveloper," built from "des-" (a reversing prefix) and "voloper," "to wrap." That wrapping verb has deep roots. It traces to a Vulgar Latin form meaning "to wrap," which goes back to a Proto-Germanic verb for winding or rolling up. English relatives include "lap" in its sense of folding or wrapping, and "warp," which once referred to a thread or threads that were wound and stretched. The English word came by borrowing from French, and once applied to the egg, its meaning moved from unfolding a covering to growing from a hidden beginning, the sense it has kept ever since.

Synonyms: grow, expand, advance, progress, evolve

Antonyms: decline, regress, diminish, stagnate, reduce