Dictionary definition for: Development

1. (n) act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining; "he congratulated them on their development of a plan to meet the emergency" "they funded research and development"

2. (n) a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage) "the development of his ideas took many years" "the evolution of Greek civilization" "the slow development of her skill as a writer"

3. (n) a recent event that has some relevance for the present situation; "recent developments in Iraq" "what a revolting development!"

4. (n) the act of making some area of land or water more profitable or productive or useful; "the development of Alaskan resources" "the exploitation of copper deposits"

5. (n) a district that has been developed to serve some purpose; "such land is practical for small park developments"

6. (n) a state in which things are improving; the result of developing (as in the early part of a game of chess) "after he saw the latest development he changed his mind and became a supporter" "in chess your should take care of your development before moving

7. (n) (biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level; "he proposed an indicator of osseous development in children"

8. (n) processing a photosensitive material in order to make an image visible; "the development and printing of his pictures took only two hours"