Etymograph

English

derivative

Derivative comes from Latin dērīvātus ‘drawn off, diverted, derived’, from rīvus ‘a small stream (of water)’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reyH- ‘to move, set in motion’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reyH-1‘to move, set in motion’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃riHwós1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rīwos1reconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCErīvos1
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErīvus1‘a small stream (of water)’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErīvō1‘to lead or draw off’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdērīvō2‘to derive’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdērīvātus2‘drawn off, diverted, derived’perfect passive participle of dērīvō
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600dérivatif2
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1979derivative2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin derivo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English derivative
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1979, Woody Allen, Manhattan: “No, I really felt it was very derivative. To…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reyH-Wiktionary, Latin derivo‘to move, set in motion’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃riHwósWiktionary, Latin derivoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rīwosWiktionary, Latin derivoreconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCErīvosWiktionary, Latin derivo
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErīvusWiktionary, Latin derivo‘a small stream (of water)’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErīvōWiktionary, Latin derivo‘to lead or draw off’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdērīvōWiktionary, English derivative‘to derive’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdērīvātusWiktionary, English derivative‘drawn off, diverted, derived’perfect passive participle of dērīvō
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600dérivatifWiktionary, English derivative
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1979derivativeWiktionary, English derivative. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1979, Woody Allen, Manhattan: “No, I really felt it was very derivative. To…”

Equivalent to derive + -ative

Latin dērīvō ‘to draw off (a liquid), derive’

Old French deriver

Middle English deriven

English derive

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reyH- ‘to move, set in motion’

ride, riding, raid, rin, irritable, irritate, ritter, ern, overridden, 13 more

through Latin rīvus ‘a small stream (of water)’

rival, ria, 5 more

Today it means

adj Obtained by derivation; not radical, original, or fundamental.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “derivative”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin derivo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃reyH- / derivative

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