Definition of "derive" []

• To obtain or receive from a source. (verb-transitive)
• To arrive at by reasoning; deduce or infer: derive a conclusion from facts. (verb-transitive)
• To trace the origin or development of (a word). (verb-transitive)
• Linguistics To generate (one structure) from another or from a set of others. (verb-transitive)
• Chemistry To produce or obtain (a compound) from another substance by chemical reaction. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "So, go ahead and wallow in what little meaness you can derive from the superlative performance of this administration."
• "What kind of authority does one derive from a non-binding goal."
• "Nobody Really: I think environmental laws may be at risk by such an amendment (in the Bills of Federalism that was specifically addressed) and should be explicitly allowed here, but civil rights laws do not derive from the Commerce Clause."