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When we use the word DERIVE today, we imply a drawing away from a main source. Thus, we see that the Romance languages derive a substantial number of their root words from Latin. In science, Chemistry uses the word derive to describe, for example, the creation of one substance or compound from another.

What is the origin of this word? As the probable root of the word in French points out, it has something to do with Rivers. The Latin word derivo is taken from two root words, de (meaning “away from”) and rivo (meaning “river”). In English, the use of the word DERIVE suggest sthe changing of the course of a river to another. Thus, it is not surprising that we have today’s commonly accepted meaning which describes a flow from a main or secondary source.