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de·rive (dĭ-rīv)
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v. de·rived, de·riv·ing, de·rives
v.tr.
1.
a. To obtain or receive from a source: a dance that is derived from the samba; confidence that is derived from years of experience.
b. Chemistry To produce or obtain (a compound) from another substance by chemical reaction.
2. Linguistics
a. To trace the origin or development of (a word).
b. To generate (a linguistic structure) from another structure or set of structures.
3. To arrive at by reasoning; deduce or infer: derive a conclusion from facts.
v.intr.
To be derived from a source; originate. See Synonyms at stem1.
[Middle English deriven, to be derived from, from Old French deriver, from Latin dērīvāre, to derive, draw off : dē-, de- + rīvus, stream; see rei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
de·riva·ble adj.
de·river n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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