Back when I was in high school, the usage of the word "derive" to mean "take the derivative of" was really widespread. It always bothered me because I felt that the proper verb should be "differentiate." I wondering if this use of "derive" is acceptable or not. Has anyone else heard the word "derive" used in this way?
Calculus – Can ‘Derive’ Mean ‘Take the Derivative of’?
calculussoft-questionterminology
Best Answer
I say "not acceptable".
I don't recall the grammatical/linguistic term, but it seems like "derive" in that sense needs a "from" somewhere: "This theorem can be derived from blah blah."
"Differentiate", on the other hand, can be used directly with its object: "let's differentiate $f$" and so on.