diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index 10eb344c71..c1e51eac94 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -1305,7 +1305,8 @@ store.  To instruct the daemon to perform a build action, users actually
 provide it with a @dfn{derivation}.  A derivation is a low-level
 representation of the build actions to be taken, and the environment in
 which they should occur---derivations are to package definitions what
-assembly is to C programs.
+assembly is to C programs.  The term ``derivation'' comes from the fact
+that build results @emph{derive} from them.
 
 This chapter describes all these APIs in turn, starting from high-level
 package definitions.