The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word EVOLUTION
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
E
V
O
L
U
T
I
O
N
More clues leading to the result EVOLUTION
- Sturgeon’s aim: Scotland finally off, a natural process
- Unionist has to live on new housing development
- In Brussels, book into sprawling development
- Descent of Democrat excluded from transfer of power
- Affection’s gone west — moving out in progress
- Live out on new development
- Exciting novel out about international development
- Oscar popped in to unveil outlandish theory
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "development" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case development = evolution.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does EVOLUTION mean?
EVOLUTION noun- A change of position.
- An unfolding.
- Process of development.