n. 1 the act or an instance of deriving or obtaining from a source; the process of being derived. 2 a the formation of a word from another word or from a root. b a derivative. c the tracing of the origin of a word. d a statement or account of this. 3 extraction, descent. 4 Math. a sequence of statements showing that a formula, theorem, etc., is a consequence of previously accepted statements. derivational adj.
[ F dérivation or L derivatio (as DERIVE) ]