devolution

noun

1. A rolling down.

2. A descent, especially one that passes through a series of revolutions, or by succession

3. The transference of a right to a successor, or of a power from one body to another.

4. pejorativeDegeneration (as opposed to evolution).

   “It is quite disheartening to witness the devolution of our nation's political discourse over the past several years.”

5. governmentThe transfer of some powers and the delegation of some functions from a central government to local government (e.g. from the U.K. parliament to Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly).

   “The question of whether England should receive devolution like Scotland and Wales have has dogged British politics for years.”

6. The process of declining from a higher to a lower level of effective power or vitality or essential quality

   Similar: degeneration