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spin·off or spin-off

(spĭnôf′, -ŏf′)

a. A divestiture by a corporation of a division or subsidiary by issuing to stockholders shares in a new company set up to continue the operations of the division or subsidiary.

b. The new company formed by such a divestiture.

2. Something, such as a product, that is derived from something larger and more or less unrelated; a byproduct.

3. Something derived from an earlier work, such as a television show starring a character who had a popular minor role in another show.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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