v. re·volved, re·volv·ing, re·volves
1. To orbit a central point: The planets revolve around the sun.
2. To turn on an axis; rotate. See Synonyms at turn.
3. To be arranged as revolving credit: His credit line revolves.
4. To be centered: Their troubles revolve around money management.
1. To cause to revolve.
2. To ponder or reflect on: revolved the matter in his mind.
[Middle English revolven, to change direction, from Old French revolver, to reflect upon, from Latin revolvere, to turn over, roll back, reflect upon : re-, re- + volvere, to roll; see wel-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.