Pronunciation: e-vo-LU-shun

Etymology: Evolution is derived from the Latin verb evolvere, which means to unroll or develop. The -tion suffix, which means the act of, converts the verb to a noun.

Evolution (n.) is the change in living things over a long period of time. As a term in Biology, evolution originally meant development. Darwin used the term evolve only once in The Origin, but it was the last word in his book. In fact, transmutation was the term used to denote change of species over time until after the publication of The Origin.

According to Ernst Mayr (2001) Darwin presented five concepts of evolution in The Origin:

1. The nonconstancy of species – The fact of evolution
2. Descent from a common ancestor – The unifying principle of Biology
3. The gradualness of evolution – A theory based on the principle of uniformatarianism
4. The multiplication of species – A theory about the origin of biodiversity
5. Natural selection – A theory about the mechanism of evolution

By Jack R. Holt. Last revised: 01/02/2009