(n): the act of improving something
(n): a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage)
(n): a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states
(n): (biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
(n): a process occurring in living organisms
(n): a recent event that has some relevance for the present situation
(n): an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
(n): the act of making some area of land or water more profitable or productive or useful
(n): the act of using
(n): a district that has been developed to serve some purpose
(n): a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
(n): a state in which things are improving; the result of developing (as in the early part of a game of chess)
(n): a condition superior to an earlier condition
(n): processing a photosensitive material in order to make an image visible
(n): preparing or putting through a prescribed procedure
(n): (music) the section of a composition or movement (especially in sonata form) where the major musical themes are developed and elaborated
(n): a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
