derivation
/ˌdɛ.ɹɪˈveɪ.ʃ(ə)n/noun
derivation is spelled D-E-R-I-V-A-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, derivation means “A leading or drawing off of water from a stream or source” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of derivation is derivations.
How many letters and syllables are in derivation?
| Letters | 10: D-E-R-I-V-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is derivation?
Derivation appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce derivation?
- /ˌdɛ.ɹɪˈveɪ.ʃ(ə)n/
Derivation has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-derivation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of derivation
- derivations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does derivation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A leading or drawing off of water from a stream or source.
- 2
The act of receiving anything from a source; the act of procuring an effect from a cause, means, or condition, as profits from capital, conclusions or opinions from evidence.
- 3
The act of tracing origin or descent; an instance thereof (for example, an etymology).
the derivation of a word from an Indo-European root
- 4
Forming a new word by changing the base of another word or by adding affixes to it.
- 5
The state or method of being derived; the relation of origin when established or asserted.
- 6
That from which a thing is derived.
- 7
That which is derived; a derivative; the result of a deduction.
- 8
The process of deriving one thing from another, especially in logic; a deduction.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate derivation?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of derivation: deriv, deriv..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Derivation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Herleiten, Herleitung, Ableitung , Derivation |
| Spanish | derivación , derivada |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does derivation come from?
From Middle English derivacioun, borrowed from Middle French dérivation, from Latin dērīvātiō, dērīvātiōnem. Morphologically derive + -ation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).