derivation

[ der-uh-vey-shuh n ]

/ ˌdɛr əˈveɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR derivation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or fact of deriving or of being derived.

the process of deriving.

the source from which something is derived; origin.

something that is or has been derived; derivative.

Mathematics.

development of a theorem.
differentiation(def 2).

Grammar.

the process or device of adding affixes to or changing the shape of a base, thereby assigning the result to a form class that may undergo further inflection or participate in different syntactic constructions, as in forming service from serve, song from sing, and hardness from hard (contrasted with inflection).
the systematic description of such processes in a given language.

Linguistics.

a set of forms, including the initial form, intermediate forms, and final form, showing the successive stages in the generation of a sentence as the rules of a generative grammar are applied to it.
the process by which such a set of forms is derived.

Nearby words

derisive, derisively, derisory, deriv., derivate, derivation, derivative, derive, derived curve, derived form, derived fossil

Origin of derivation

1375–1425; late Middle English derivacioun < Latin dērīvātiōn- (stem of dērīvātiō) a turning away, equivalent to dērīvāt(us) (past participle of dērīvāre; see derive, -ate¹) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

der·i·va·tion·al, adjectiveder·i·va·tion·al·ly, adverbpre·der·i·va·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for derivation

The flower lore of American children is nearly all of English derivation; but children invent as well as copy.
Old-Time Gardens|Alice Morse Earle
The derivation of the word Sabbath in this connexion is quite unknown.
The Witch-cult in Western Europe|Margaret Alice Murray
Moreover, the information available will not always justify the derivation of a specific task.
Sound Military Decision|U.s. Naval War College
Another rule for laying the accent of words arises from derivation.
Dissertation on the English Language|Noah Webster, Jr.

There is, moreover, ample evidence in favour of the derivation from the isle Cyprus.
The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume VI|Aphra Behn

British Dictionary definitions for derivation

derivation

/ (ˌdɛrɪˈveɪʃən) /

noun

the act of deriving or state of being derived

the source, origin, or descent of something, such as a word

something derived; a derivative

the process of deducing a mathematical theorem, formula, etc, as a necessary consequence of a set of accepted statements
this sequence of statements
the operation of finding a derivative

Derived Forms

derivational, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

derivation

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of derivation

Related forms

Examples from the Web for derivation

British Dictionary definitions for derivation

derivation

noun

Derived Forms