derivation

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun the source or origin from which something derives (i.e. comes or issues)
noun (historical linguistics) an explanation of the historical origins of a word or phrase
noun a line of reasoning that shows how a conclusion follows logically from accepted propositions

From Middle English derivacioun, borrowed from Middle French dérivation, from Latin dērīvātiō, dērīvātiōnem. Morphologically derive + -ation.

No! not even the derivation! — Ann Veronica: A Modern Love Story, H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
For the derivation, see Wb. — The Lady of the Lake, Walter Scott
But this derivation is merely conjectural. — Travels in the Great Desert of Sahara, in the Years of 1845 and 1846, James Richardson

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