derivative
- 01 C1 Advanced
n.a type of financial contract whose value depends on the price of something else, like gold or oil.
n.a financial instrument whose value is contingent upon the performance of an underlying asset, index, or interest rate.
Simple“The bank lost money because it invested too much in complex derivatives.”
In context“The rapid collapse of the housing market was accelerated by the widespread trading of high-risk mortgage-backed derivatives.”
UsageUsually used in the plural when referring to the market or investment products.
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.a word that is made from another word, usually by adding a beginning or an ending.
n.a word formed from another word or root through the process of derivation, such as adding an affix.
Simple“The word 'happiness' is a derivative of the word 'happy'.”
In context“Morphological analysis reveals that many English technical terms are derivatives of Latin or Greek roots.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.a calculation that shows how fast something is changing at a specific moment.
n.the rate of change of a function with respect to a variable, representing the slope of the tangent to the graph of the function.
Simple“In calculus class, we learned how to find the derivative of a curve.”
In context“The first derivative of the position function provides the instantaneous velocity of the particle at any given time.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
n.a chemical substance that is made from another similar substance.
n.a compound that can be imagined to arise or is actually synthesized from a parent compound by a chemical reaction.
Simple“The scientist created a new derivative of the drug to reduce side effects.”
In context“Researchers are testing several synthetic derivatives of the plant extract to determine which has the highest antibacterial potency.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
adj.copying someone else's work or style instead of being original.
adj.imitative of the work of another person, and usually disapproved of for lacking originality.
Simple“Critics said the new movie was derivative and felt like a copy of older films.”
In context“While technically proficient, the artist's early paintings were dismissed by critics as being overly derivative of the French Impressionists.”
Teacher's tipThis adjective sense is almost always negative; it suggests the creator lacked their own ideas.
SynonymsAntonyms
“This follows a surge of interest in leucovorin or folinic acid, a derivative of vitamin B9 that is commonly prescribed for cancer patients.”
“They identified several ivermectin derivatives, including a previously unknown derivative called ethyl-ivermectin, which was recovered in quantities as small as 100 µg.”
From Middle French dérivatif, from Latin dērīvātus, perfect passive participle of dērīvō (“to derive”). Related to derive; by surface analysis, derive + -ative.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.