deride(di RYD) vt.to laugh at contemptuously or scornfully; to make fun of;
ridicule
- Jack deridedhis sister for having trouble riding the bicycle.
- It is poor form to derideanyone for his or her handicaps or inabilities.
[-d, deriding, derision n.,derisive adj., deridingly adv.] [Syn. ridicule]
derivative*(di RIV a TIV) adj.1. using or taken from other sources; 2. not original
—n.something derived - Many modern medicines are tropical plant derivatives.
- The Lord of the Ringsmovies were derivativefilms, having been taken from
Tolkein’s writings. - Chocolate is a derivativeof the cacao bean.
[-ly adv.]
derive(di RYV) vt.1. to get, take, or receive something from a source; 2. to
arrive at by reasoning; deduce or infer; 3. to trace to or from its source; show the
origin and development of - Alice derivedmost of her term paper from Web sources.
- Pythagoras derivedhis famous theorem by drawing squares on the sides of
a right triangle and relating their areas. - The ancestry of many immigrants may be derivedfrom the archives at Ellis
Island.
[-d, deriving, derivation n.]
descent (dee SENT) n.1. a coming or going down; 2. lineage; ancestry; 3. a
downward slope; 4. a sudden attack or raid (on or upon); 5. a decline; fall - Wally’s descentdown the banister was much faster than it would have been
had he used the stairs. - Jack could trace his descentfrom a long line of no-good Nicks.
- The ski trail made a steep descentbefore leveling off.
- The Mongols’ descentupon the caravan came swiftly and without warning.
- The power of the Egyptian pharoahs was in descentlong before the reign of
the last pharoah, Cleopatra.
describe(di SKRYB) vt.1. to give a detailed account of; 2. to make a word pic-
ture of; 3. to trace or outline - Lewis Carrol describesAlice’s adventures in Wonderland as growing “curi-
ouser and curiouser.” - Ernest Hemingway was able to describeplaces in words so that exotic,
detailed pictures formed in his readers’ minds. - Valerie used her compass to describea 3 cm radius circle.
[-d, describing]
description (dis KRIP shin) n.1. the process of picturing in words; describing;
- a statement or passage that describes; 3. sort, kind, or variety of; 4. the act of
tracing or outlining
- James Michener’s descriptionof the islands of the South Pacific were vivid
enough to transport the reader there. - Write a brief descriptionof the accident and how you caused it to happen.
78 Essential Vocabulary