derivative
derivative Lexical Profile
derivative Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Imitative of the work of another person, artist, or style, and therefore disapproved of for lacking originality.
"Critics dismissed the novel as a derivative imitation of classic science fiction."
Originating from, based on, or traceable to another source.
"Corporate legal structures often create derivative rights for minority shareholders."
• noun
Something that is based on or developed from another source, such as a word formed from an earlier root or a chemical compound produced from another substance.
"Aspirin is a synthetic chemical derivative of salicylic acid, which occurs naturally in willow bark."
A financial contract or security whose value is dependent upon an underlying asset, index, or rate (such as stocks, bonds, commodities, or currencies).
"The investment firm used currency derivatives to hedge against sudden fluctuations in foreign exchange rates."
In calculus, an expression representing the instantaneous rate of change of a mathematical function with respect to an independent variable.
"Students learned how to calculate the first derivative of a function to find the slope of its tangent line."
• Rhymes for derivative
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 15th century from Old French derivatif and Late Latin derivativus, from Latin derivare ('to draw off water from a stream'), composed of de- ('from') and rivus ('stream').