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involution Definition

in·vo·lu·tion (in′və lo̵̅o̅′s̸hən)

noun

  1. an involving or being involved; entanglement
  2. anything that is involved; complication; intricacy
  3. Anat. the process of rolling or curling inward, as in the formation of a gastrula
  4. Biol. a retrograde or degenerative change
  5. Gram. an involved construction, esp. one created by a clause interposed between a subject and its predicate
  6. Math. the raising of a quantity to any given power
  7. Med.
    1. the return of an organ to its normal size after distention, as of the womb after childbirth
    2. a decline in the normal functions of the human body, or of an organ, that occurs with age, as the changes taking place at menopause

Etymology: L involutio < involutus, pp. of involvere

involution Related Forms
in′·vo·lu′·tional adjective in′·vo·lu′·tion·ar′y adjective
involution Synonyms

involution

n.

intricacy, complication, complexity; see difficulty 1, 2.

involution Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • gland: Abstract INTRODUCTION: Involution of the mammary gland is a complex process of controlled apoptosis and tissue remodeling.

Adjective modifier

  • uterine: It is also found to be beneficial for uterine involution, weight loss, natural contraception and reducing stress.
  • thymic: T cell receptor gene rearrangement problems contribute to thymic involution by making the cells less resistant to apoptosis.

Modifies a noun

  • timepoints: We therefore re-analysed just the 7 lactation and involution timepoints from the 12 stage microarrays ( 7 stage timecourse folder ).