Adjective
(comparative more derived, superlative most derived)
- (systematics) Of, or pertaining to, conditions unique to the descendant species of a clade, and not found in earlier ancestral species.
- (systematics, comparable, archaic) Possessing features believed to be more advanced or improved than those other organisms.
- product of derivation
- The French language is derived from Latin.
Usage notes
Modern systematics proscribes use of derived to mean "advanced", preferring to use derived to simply mean "changed from the ancestral state" without an evaluation of quality.
Verb
- Simple past tense and past participle of derive.
