Devolve and Decrease

verb

• Pass on or delegate to another.
  • usage: "The representative devolved his duties to his aides while he was in the hospital"
• Be inherited by.
  • usage: "The estate fell to my sister"; "The land returned to the family"; "The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead"
  • synonyms: fall, return, pass
• Grow worse.
  • usage: "Her condition deteriorated"; "Conditions in the slums degenerated"; "The discussion devolved into a shouting match"
  • synonyms: deteriorate, drop, degenerate

• (v.t.) To transfer from one person to another; to deliver over; to hand down; -- generally with upon, sometimes with to or into.
• (v.t.) To roll onward or downward; to pass on.
• (v.i.) To pass by transmission or succession; to be handed over or down; -- generally with on or upon, sometimes with to or into; as, after the general fell, the command devolved upon (or on) the next officer in rank.

To pass on or delegate to another, e. G. A' DEVOLVE'd letter of credit.

noun

• A change downward.
  • usage: "there was a decrease in his temperature as the fever subsided"; "there was a sharp drop-off in sales"
  • synonyms: lessening, drop-off
• A process of becoming smaller or shorter.
  • synonyms: decrement
• The amount by which something decreases.
  • synonyms: decrement
• The act of decreasing or reducing something.
  • synonyms: diminution, reduction, step-down

verb

• Decrease in size, extent, or range.
  • usage: "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper"
  • synonyms: diminish, lessen, fall
• Make smaller.
  • usage: "He decreased his staff"
  • synonyms: lessen, minify

• (v.t.) To cause to grow less; to diminish gradually; as, extravagance decreases one's means.
• (v.) A becoming less; gradual diminution; decay; as, a decrease of revenue or of strength.
• (n.) To grow less, -- opposed to increase; to be diminished gradually, in size, degree, number, duration, etc. or in strength, quality or excellence; as, they days decrease in length from June to December.
• (v.) The wane of the moon.