Darwin, Lamarck and Haeckel - the greatest 19th century evolutionists of England, France and Germany respectively - did not use the word evolution in the original editions of their great works.
Evolution had another technical meaning in Darwin's time - a theory that all future generations existed, like Russian dolls, in the ova of Eve or sperm of Adam. Latin evolvere means "to unroll".
However, by 1859, evolution was losing this meaning. It had become a common English word and embodied a concept of progressive development. It was available as a description for Darwin's "descent with modification".
Darwin, though, did not like the term evolution because he was uncomfortable with the notion of inevitable progress inherent in its vernacular meaning. Darwin stood almost alone in insisting that organic change led only to increasing adaptation between organisms and their own environment and not to an abstract ideal of progress - never say higher or lower.
Evolution has no necessary links to progress. Scientists know this but most laymen still associate evolution with progress, not simply as change.
Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould
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