In its earliest uses in the 15th century, devolve was about literally rolling down: it meant "to roll onward or downward."

Phrasal verb devolve something to someone (Definition of devolved from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

DEVOLVE definition: to transfer or delegate (a duty, responsibility, etc.) to or upon another; pass on. See examples of devolve used in a sentence.

4 meanings: 1. to pass or cause to pass to a successor or substitute, as duties, power, etc 2. law (of an estate, etc) to pass.... Click for more definitions.

1. To pass on or delegate to another: The senator devolved the duties of office upon a group of aides. 2. Archaic To cause to roll onward or downward.

There are 18 meanings listed in OED's entry for the verb devolve, nine of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. How common is …

When things devolve, they deteriorate, degenerate, fall apart, go to the dogs, and generally end up worse. When a classroom gets loud and rowdy, a teacher might say the class has …