Search results for 'develop':

develop verb (developed, developing) 1 tr & intr to make or become more mature, more advanced, more complete, more organized, more detailed, etc. 2 said of a living organism, organ, tissue or cell: to become transformed from a simple structure to a much more complex one, usually by passing through a number of stages. 3 to begin to have something; to have an increasing amount of it • develop an interest in politics. 4 tr & intr to appear and grow, or to have or suffer from something which has appeared and grown • developing a cold. 5 to use chemical agents to convert an invisible image on (exposed photographic film or paper) into a visible image. 6 to bring into fuller use (the natural resources, etc of a country or region). 7 to build on (land) or prepare (land) for being built on. 8 chess to bring (a piece) into a position useful in attack. 9 math to express (an expression or function) in expanded form. 10 geom to unroll into a plane surface. developable adj.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c; originally meaning 'to unroll or unfurl', from French développer.