Transfer of property or power

devolution = the moving of power or responsibility from a main organisation to a lower level, or from a central government to a regional government. eg The majority of people in the province are in favour of devolution.

devolve = to (cause power or responsibility to) be given to other people

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Note added at 9 mins (2004-02-16 08:13:38 GMT)
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Note: this is a general English definition, not a definition of devolution as it applies in law

"a : a passing or devolving (as of property, qualities, power, or rights) upon a successor *the devolution of the crown* b : delegation or conferral (as of authority, responsibility, or tasks) especially to a subordinate *devolution of functions in industry* c in ecclesiastical law : transfer of power and privilege in a particular case because of nonfeasance or misfeasance (as when the filling of a vacant benefice passes to the church because the patron failed to nominate or presented an unworthy candidate) d : the delegation or surrender of powers formerly held by a central government to regional or local authorities compare DECENTRALIZATION e Scots law (1) : the reference of a matter to an umpire by arbiters who disagree(2) : the devolving of a purchase at auction upon the next highest bidder when the highest bidder fails to make good his bid
2 a : descent or passage through a series (as of stages in development) b : retrograde evolution : DEGENERATION
–devolutionary \-sh**ner*\ adjective"

the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level;
law; the legal transfer of property from one owner to another;
biology; evolutionary degeneration

SYN atrophy, decadence, declension, declination, decline, degeneracy, degeneration, dégringolade, downfall
REL regression, regressiveness, retrogression, retrogressiveness; receding, recession, retrogradation, retrograding
CON development; progress, progression
ANT evolution