development

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”

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”

a recent event that has some relevance for the present situation

• “recent developments in Iraq”
• “what a revolting development!”

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”

a district that has been developed to serve some purpose

• “such land is practical for small park developments”

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 your queen”

(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”

processing a photosensitive material in order to make an image visible

• “the development and printing of his pictures took only two hours”