advancement

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A forward step; an improvement.
2. n. Development; progress: the advancement of knowledge.
3. n. A promotion, as in rank.
4. n. The act of moving forward. See Usage Note at advance.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of moving forward or proceeding onward or upward.
2. n. The act of promoting, or state of being promoted; preferment; promotion in rank or excellence; improvement; furtherance.
3. n. 3. Settlement on a wife; jointure. Bacon.
4. n. In law, provision made by a parent for a child during the parent's life, by gift of property on account of the share to which the child would be entitled as heir or next of kin after the parent's death.
5. n. 5. The payment of money in advance; money paid in advance. Synonyms and Advance, Proficiency, etc. See progress, n. Exaltation, elevation, preferment, enhancement, amelioration, betterment.
6. n. In surgery, an operation for strabismus, consisting in dividing the tendon of the healthy muscle, bringing the end forward, and fastening it to the eyeball forward of its former point of insertion.

Wiktionary

1. n. The act of advancing, or the state of being advanced; progression; improvement; furtherance; promotion to a higher place or dignity; as, the advancement of learning.
2. n. An advance of money or value; payment in advance.
3. n. Property given, usually by a parent to a child, in advance of a future distribution.
4. n. advance (forward movement)

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act of advancing, or the state of being advanced; progression; improvement; furtherance; promotion to a higher place or dignity.
2. n. An advance of money or value; payment in advance. See Advance, 5.
3. n. Property given, usually by a parent to a child, in advance of a future distribution.
4. n. Settlement on a wife, or jointure.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the act of moving forward (as toward a goal)
2. n. encouragement of the progress or growth or acceptance of something
3. n. gradual improvement or growth or development