noun

• The act of improving; advancement or growth; a bettering
• The act of making profitable use or application of anything, or the state of being profitably employed; practical application, for example of a doctrine, principle, or theory, stated in a discourse.
• The state of being improved; betterment; advance
• Something which is improved
• Increase; growth; progress; advance.
• (in the plural) Valuable additions or betterments, for example buildings, clearings, drains, fences, etc., on premises.
• (Patent Laws): A useful addition to, or modification of, a machine, manufacture, or composition.