What does "derivative" mean?
Derivative: That which is derived; anything obtained or deduced from another.
Additional senses
- 2.(Gram.) A word formed from another word, by a prefix or suffix, an internal modification, or some other change; a word which takes its origin from a root.
- 3.(Mus.) A chord, not fundamental, but obtained from another by inversion; or, vice versa, a ground tone or root implied in its harmonics in an actual chord.
- 4.(Med.) An agent which is adapted to produce a derivation (in the medical sense).
- 5.(Math.) A derived function; a function obtained from a given function by a certain algebraic process. Note: Except in the mode of derivation the derivative is the same as the differential coefficient. See Differential coefficient, under Differential.
- 6.(Chem.) A substance so related to another substance by modification or partial substitution as to be regarded as derived from it; thus, the amido compounds are derivatives of ammonia, and the hydrocarbons are derivatives of methane, benzene, etc.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00