Involution
/ˌɪn.vəˈluː.ʃən/noun
A process of turning inward, or a complex folding back on itself; in biology, the shrinking of an organ or tissue.
Did you know?Its deepest root is the same one behind English words like wheel, revolve, and voluble, all tied to the ancient idea of something turning or rolling.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wel-
“to turn, roll, or bend”
Latin
Latin
volvere
“to roll, turn, or revolve”
Latin
Latin
involvere
“to roll in, wrap up, envelop, or entangle”
Late Latin
Latin
involutio
“a wrapping or entangling; a folding inward”
Middle English
English
involucioun
“the act of wrapping or entangling”
Modern English
English
involution
“the state or process of turning inward or becoming more complex by folding back on itself”