What's the difference between: derivative and by-product? Thank you.

Question

Is there a difference between these two words? Any examples?

Answer 1

Derivative: is something that you intentionally develop or produce from something else.

Diesel is a derivative of petroleum.

by-product: is something that happens or comes to exist unexpectedly while making, doing or producing something else. It's often unwanted. Think of it just as the side-effects of medicines.

Hacking is a by-product of the Internet.

Quite right Elmar, good definition. - annierats, Oct 14, 2011

Answer 2

Children can be a by-product of sex .

Alcohol is a derivative of fermentation.

Drunkeness is a by-product of alcohol. .

Drunkeness can lead to sex, thus possibly producing more by-products.

This is actually a Don't Drink Advert, also a by-product of alcohol.

Answer 3

A by-product is something that results from something else. This will often be an accident, unplanned, unwanted, or unimportant result. Ash is a by-product of fire because you made the fire for heat but you also got ash. Waste is a by-product of manufacturing.

Derivative is something that comes from something else. This is more like something that stems from something else. Spanish is derived from Latin. Oasis is derivative of the Beatles.

The words are synonymous and can be interchanged in some but not all situations.

I don't think they are synonyms, nor can they very often be interchanged. - annierats, Oct 14, 2011

Answer 4

¡Hola!, jbriseno:

Here are a couple of dictionary definitions found by performing an internet search:

Derivative ----> Defined,

By-product ----> Defined

Answer 5

derivative
adjetivo - poco original

sustantivo - derivado

by-product

sustantivo - subproducto / consecuencia