Refinement and Evolution

noun

• A highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality."they performed with great polish"; "I admired the exquisite refinement of his prose"; "almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art-Joseph Conrad
  • synonyms: polish, culture, cultivation, finish
• The result of improving something.
  • usage: "he described a refinement of this technique"
  • synonyms: elaboration
• The process of removing impurities (as from oil or metals or sugar etc..
  • synonyms: refining, purification
• A subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude.
  • usage: "without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor"; "don't argue about shades of meaning"
  • synonyms: nuance, nicety, shade, subtlety
• The quality of excellence in thought and manners and taste.
  • usage: "a man of intellectual refinement"; "he is remembered for his generosity and civilization"
  • synonyms: civilization, civilisation

• (n.) The act of refining or the state of being refined; as, the refinement or metals; refinement of ideas.
• (n.) That which is refined, elaborated or polished to excess; an affected subtilty; as, refinements of logic.

noun

• A process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage. )
  • usage: "the development of his ideas took many years"; "the evolution of Greek civilization"; "the slow development of her skill as a writer"
  • synonyms: development
• Biology) the sequence of events involved in the evolutionary development of a species or taxonomic group of organisms. (.
  • synonyms: organic evolution, phylogeny, phylogenesis

• (n.) The formation of an involute by unwrapping a thread from a curve as an evolute.
• (n.) The act of unfolding or unrolling; hence, in the process of growth; development; as, the evolution of a flower from a bud or an animal from the egg.
• (n.) That theory of generation which supposes the germ to preexist in the parent, and its parts to be developed, but not actually formed, by the procreative act; -- opposed to epigenesis.
• (n.) That series of changes under natural law which involves continuous progress from the homogeneous to the heterogeneous in structure, and from the single and simple to the diverse and manifold in quality or function. The pocess is by some limited to organic beings; by others it is applied to the inorganic and the psychical. It is also applied to explain the existence and growth of institutions, manners, language, civilization, and every product of human activity. The agencies and laws of the process are variously explained by different philosophrs.
• (n.) A general name for the history of the steps by which any living organism has acquired the morphological and physiological characters which distinguish it; a gradual unfolding of successive phases of growth or development.
• (n.) A series of things unrolled or unfolded.
• (n.) The extraction of roots; -- the reverse of involution.
• (n.) A prescribed movement of a body of troops or a vessel or fleet; any movement designed to effect a new arrangement or disposition; a maneuver.