Persephone began to rearrange her new home in gradual stages (6)
I believe the answer is:
phased
'home in gradual stages' is the definition.
The answer and definition are different parts of speech. However, adjectives and past participle verbs can sometimes mean the same thing.
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for phased that I've seen before include "Arranged in stages" , "Done in stages, shaped accordingly" , "Shaped (anag.)" , "Introduced in stages" , "spread over stages" .)