English
derive
Derive comes from Latin dērīvō ‘to draw off (a liquid), derive’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErīvus1named in Wiktionary’s etymology text · steps between not traced
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdērīvō1‘to draw off (a liquid), derive’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400deriver1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500deriven1
- Englishearliest quotation 1836derive1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English derive
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1836, – 1837 October, Charles Dickens: “Bob the aforesaid, and his present chances of deriving…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErīvusWiktionary, English derivenamed in Wiktionary’s etymology text · steps between not traced
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdērīvōWiktionary, English derive‘to draw off (a liquid), derive’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400deriverWiktionary, English derive
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500derivenWiktionary, English derive
- Englishearliest quotation 1836deriveWiktionary, English derive. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1836, – 1837 October, Charles Dickens: “Bob the aforesaid, and his present chances of deriving…”
A compound of dē ‘away’ + rīvus ‘a stream’
Proto-Indo-European *de ‘to, towards’
Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ ‘towards’
Proto-Italic *dē ‘from’
Latin dē ‘away’
Proto-Indo-European *h₃reyH- ‘to stream, churn’
Proto-Indo-European *h₃riHwós
Proto-Italic *rīwos ‘stream’
Archaic Latin rīvos
Latin rīvus ‘a stream’
The story
Unrelated to arrive.
Linked words
pairs
- derive and rival both from Latin rīvus
Every English word from Latin rīvus
Today it means
verb To obtain or receive (something) from something else.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “derive”. 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 / Latin rīvus / derive