puhekieltä To roll (something) down; to unroll. (defdate)
1744, (w), The Pleasures of the Imagination, II:
every headlong stream / Devolves its winding waters to the main.
1830, (w), Character:
He spake of virtue … And with … a lack-lustre dead-blue eye, Devolved his rounded periods.
puhekieltä To be inherited by someone else; to pass down (m) the next person in a succession, especially through failure or loss of an earlier holder. (defdate)
1932, (w), Talleyrand, Folio Society 2010, p. 4:
an accident … rendered him permanently lame, and therefore unfitted him, in the opinion of his parents, to inherit his father's many titles, which, it was then arranged, should devolve upon his younger brother.
puhekieltä To delegate (a responsibility, duty, etc.) (m) or (m) someone. (defdate)
1704, (w), Remarks on Several Parts of Italy:
They devolved their whole authority into the hands of the council of sixty.
1756, (w), A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful:
An artful man became popular, the people had power in their hands, and they devolved a considerable share of their power upon their favourite ….
puhekieltä To fall as a duty or responsibility (m) or (m) someone. (defdate)
(RQ:Joyce Ulysse), Episode 16:
For the nonce he was rather nonplussed but inasmuch as the duty plainly devolved upon him to take some measures on the subject he pondered suitable ways and means during which Stephen repeatedly yawned.
puhekieltä To degenerate; to break down. (defdate)
A discussion about politics may devolve into a shouting match.