# derivation

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌdɛ.ɹɪˈveɪ.ʃ(ə)n/ · frequency rank #27,428

## Definitions
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).
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.
9. The process of deriving one thing from another, especially in logic; a deduction.
10. The process of application of the derivative operator to a function, yielding another function called the derived function of the first.
11. An algebraic generalization of the derivative operator (from its natural setting in the ring of real-valued functions) to a general associative algebra over a field. Formally, (given an algebra A over a field K) a K-linear endomorphism that satisfies Leibnitz's Law.
12. An algebraic generalization of the derivative operator (from its natural setting in the ring of real-valued functions) to a general associative algebra over a field. Formally, (given an algebra A over a field K) a K-linear endomorphism that satisfies Leibnitz's Law.
13. A drawing of humors or fluids from one part of the body to another, to relieve or lessen a morbid process.

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

## Easily confused with
- **deviation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/derivation-vs-deviation)
- **derivative** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/derivation-vs-derivative)
- **dedication** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dedication-vs-derivation)
- **deprivation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deprivation-vs-derivation)

## Common misspellings (15)
`dderivation`, `deirvation`, `deriavtion`, `derivaiton`, `derivasion`, `derivatino`, `derivationn`, `derivatoin`, `derivattion`, `derivtaion`, `derivvation`, `derrivation`, `derviation`, `dreivation`, `edrivation`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/derivation