Where does “derive” come from?
Derive comes from Middle English deriven, from Old French deriver, from Latin derivo, a compound of Latin de and a root from Proto-Indo-European h₃er- meaning to move or flow.
derive (English): To obtain or receive from something else; To...
Definitions
- To obtain or receive from something else; To...
Ancestry of “derive”, step by step
derive traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French dérive
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | dérive | drift; centreboard; first-person singular present... |
| 2 | French | dériver | to derive; to drift; to redirect, to divert |
| 3 | French | dé- | used to make antonyms |
| 4 | Middle French | dés- | de-; dis |
| 5 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 6 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 7 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 8 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |