[ dɪ'rɪvətɪv ]
■ adjective
1》 chiefly derogatory imitative of the work of another artist, writer, etc.
2》 (of a financial product) having a value deriving from an underlying variable asset.
■ noun
1》 something which is derived from another source.
2》 (often ~s ) Finance a ~ future, option, or other financial product.
3》 Mathematics an expression representing the rate of change of a function with respect to an independent variable.
Derivatives
~ly adverb
Origin
ME: from Fr. dérivatif , -ive , from L. derivativus , from derivare (see derive ).