derived

adjective

de·​rived di-ˈrīvd 

dē-

biology

: being, possessing, or marked by a character (such as the large brain in humans) not present in the ancestral form

derived features

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

But later analyses have suggested that Pachyrhachis and others are secondarily marine, the offshoots of a more derived snake group, and the connection between snakes and mosasaurs has come under suspicion. —Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2015

In the year 450 the dominant religion in the Roman Empire was a derived Jewish sect, Christianity. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2011

Since Europeans are fixed for the derived variant of SLC24A5, that implies to me that sweep must have occurred after 24,000 years ago. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2013

Yet Gobihadros, which was not a fancy, highly derived hadrosaurid, was still around, apparently doing just fine despite being a less derived hadrosauroid. —Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2019

Javor sums up the process of a derived educational experience. —Rod Berger, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2022

At the same time, by moving back in time along the lineage, researchers can strip away derived traits — characteristics that arose from those later mutations — and zero in on the traits most likely present in the LCA. —Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2017

The signatures of these events in chromosomes therefore represent a novel set of derived characteristics that biologists can use to test hypotheses about how species are related. —Quanta Magazine, 2 Feb. 2022

Scholars note that the British-derived common-law system used in Hong Kong allows prosecutors broad powers intended to be used with discretion. —Suzanne Sataline, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2020

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Word History

Etymology

see derive

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above