derivative
[dih-riv-uh-tiv]
- derived.
- not original; secondary.
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- something that has been derived.
- Also called derived form. Grammar. a form that has undergone derivation from another, as atomic from atom.
- Chemistry. a substance or compound obtained from, or regarded as derived from, another substance or compound.
- Also called differential quotient; especially British, differential coefficient. Mathematics. the limit of the ratio of the increment of a function to the increment of a variable in it, as the latter tends to 0; the instantaneous change of one quantity with respect to another, as velocity, which is the instantaneous change of distance with respect to time.Compare first derivative, second derivative.
- a financial contract whose value derives from the value of underlying stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities, etc.
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Origin of derivative
1400–50; late Middle English derivatif < Late Latin dērīvātīvus, equivalent to Latin dērīvāt(us) (see derivation) + -īvus -ive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for derivatives
Contemporary Examples
“Junk,” we learn, refers to opium and its derivatives: morphine, heroin, pantopon, Dilaudid, codeine.
The opaque and complex market of derivatives was the single most important destabilizer leading up to 2008.
The Roots of the Next Financial Crisis: How Wall Street Undermines ReformLawrence Lessig
June 23, 2013
At every turn, he insisted on truly crazy ideas—like transparency about the derivatives traded, or trading on public exchanges.
The Roots of the Next Financial Crisis: How Wall Street Undermines ReformLawrence Lessig
June 23, 2013
That then forms the basis of multiple lending contracts, from derivatives to mortgage rates.
It reaffirms that derivatives are inherently risky, and even the best-run banks—and JPMorgan is one of them—cannot avoid the risk.
Historical Examples
The loss would be a small one if we were to lose this word and its derivatives.
The VerbalistThomas Embly Osmun, (AKA Alfred Ayres)
Adjectives and other derivatives from these words are not capitalized.
CapitalsFrederick W. Hamilton
The English derivatives from these scientific words are not capitalized.
CapitalsFrederick W. Hamilton
Huchon we get Hutchin and its derivatives, and also Houchin.
The Romance of NamesErnest Weekley
And remember: no chemist alive can synthesize opium or its derivatives.
RevengeArthur Porges
derivative
- resulting from derivation; derived
- based on or making use of other sources; not original or primary
- copied from others, esp slavishly; plagiaristic
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- a term, idea, etc, that is based on or derived from another in the same class
- a word derived from another word
- chem a compound that is formed from, or can be regarded as formed from, a structurally related compoundchloroform is a derivative of methane
- maths
- Also called: differential coefficient, first derivativethe change of a function, f(x), with respect to an infinitesimally small change in the independent variable, x; the limit of [f(a + Δ x)–f(a)] / Δ x, at x = a, as the increment, Δ x, tends to 0. Symbols: df(x)/d x, f′(x), Df(x)the derivative of x n is nx n–1
- the rate of change of one quantity with respect to anothervelocity is the derivative of distance with respect to time
- finance a financial instrument, such as a futures contract or option, the price of which is largely determined by the commodity, currency, share price, interest rate, etc, to which it is linked
- psychoanal an activity that represents the expression of hidden impulses and desires by channelling them into socially acceptable forms
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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
Word Origin and History for derivatives
derivative
early 15c. (adj.); mid-15c. (n.), from Middle French dérivatif (15c.), from Late Latin derivat-, past participle stem of Latin derivare (see derive). Mathematical sense is from 1670s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
derivative
(dĭ-rĭv′ə-tĭv)- Something obtained or produced by modification of something else.
- A chemical compound that may be produced from another compound of similar structure in one or more steps.
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- Resulting from, characterized by, or employing derivation.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
derivative
[dĭ-rĭv′ə-tĭv]
- In calculus, the slope of the tangent line to a curve at a particular point on the curve. Since a curve represents a function, its derivative can also be thought of as the rate of change of the corresponding function at the given point. Derivatives are computed using differentiation.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.