释义 |
in·vo·lu·tion \ˌinvəˈlüshən also -vəlˈyü-\ noun (-s) Etymology: Medieval Latin involution-, involutio envelopment, from Latin, something enveloped, from involutus (past participle of involvere to wrap, envelop) + -ion-, -io -ion 1. a. : the act or an instance of infolding or entangling : involvement < her subsequent Red involution was probably from idealistic reaction … rather than from Marxist conviction — Wilbur Burton > < some involutions of the plot I had quite forgotten — Arnold Bennett > specifically : an involved grammatical construction usually characterized by the insertion of clauses between the subject and predicate b. : the quality or state of being involved : envelopment, intricacy < his mind … is simple; his syntax lacks involution — Austin Warren > 2. : the act or process of raising a quantity or symbol to any assigned power or affecting it with an assigned exponent — opposed to evolution 3. a. : an inward curvature or penetration < involution of a soil deposit > b. : the formation of a gastrula by ingrowth of cells formed at the dorsal lip 4. : a shrinking or return to a former size < involution of the uterus after pregnancy > 5. : the regressive alterations of a body or its parts that are characteristic of the aging process; specifically : presenile decline marked by a decrease of bodily vigor and in women by the menopause 6. : a relation of a higher type of reality to a lower type (as mind to matter) upon which it depends |