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Glite Dictionary
🌱 Source or origin 🧮 Logical calculation 🔤 Word formation 💧 Removal of fluid
derivation

derivation

1 6.0
Making a new word from another word by adding a letter or ending
  • noun
  • /ˌdɛrəˈveɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : derivación
  • Understanding the derivation of technical terms can help students grasp complex concepts.
  • derivation of a word

And then all of the other swear words as well and all of the derivations thereof.

Examples

  • English inflectional morphology is limited, but the derivation process is richer.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Going back to the derivation of words, the word art is based on a Latin root meaning "to fit."

    Academic text (1993)

  • The word thus obtained can become the starting point of a new derivation, and so on.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Unfortunately, the linguistic derivation is not terribly helpful in this instance.

    Academic text (2014)

  • In the previous example, we obtain the following derivation from the axiom:

    Academic text (1997)

  • Some examples of the derivation of equivalent L-systems are given.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The derivation of the word "happiness" traces back to the root word "happy."

  • In linguistics, derivation refers to how new words are formed from existing ones.

Synonyms

etymology
vsderivation
  • Specialized
9 7.7

The study of where words come from and how they change

focuses on historical development rather than the specific process of making new words
origination
vsderivation
5 6.3

The time when something begins or is made

applies specifically to forming new words and explaining their origins
derivational morphology
vsderivation
  • Specialized
8.7

Making new words by adding prefixes or suffixes to other words

is the general process of creating new words or explaining word origins
lexicalization
vsderivation
  • Specialized
9.8

Making a single word to show an idea

focuses on forming words from existing words rather than from concepts

Antonyms

originality
30 4.5

A quality of being new and different in ideas and not copied from others

Surface Forms

derivation singular
derivations plural

Morphology

derivation = derive (semi-transparent) = derive + ation

Formed regularly from 'derive', but this is a technical linguistic meaning (word-formation) that may not be obvious to learners without metalinguistic knowledge.

Etymology

The word derivation comes from Latin parts de- ('away') and rivus ('stream'), and you can think of it as 'leading out' a new word from an old one. For example, 'happiness' is a derivation of 'happy', so derivation in linguistics means forming or explaining how words are made.