[dcolkitt]

The term “derivatives” is widely used for financial derivatives like options and swaps. It’s gained such widespread adoption that it by far dwarfs the original meaning of the instantaneous rate of change in calculus.

I think the simpler answer is that when a word has two meanings, one a widely used category of financial instruments and the other a narrowly defined branch of advanced mathematics, the former will almost always dominate everyday discussion.

[talideon]

The term 'derivative' is rarely ambiguous, where as 'crypto' often is. That's a key difference here.

[lukeschlather]

Cryptography is more widely used than cryptocurrency. That people don't understand they're using it doesn't change the fact that "threatens the cryptography industry" is more scary than "threatens the cryptocurrency industry" especially since cryptocurrency relies on cryptography so it would be directly threatened as a consequence.

[Retric]

Possibility, I have heard “derivatives” most commonly used as a math term not a financial one. But it’s got plenty of other meanings: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derivative

[tantalor]

As in "something that originates from something else"

[nomoreplease]

Derivatives industry means one thing though, and doesn’t mean the mathematics industry. It’s not ambiguous either

[gruez]

>that it by far dwarfs the original meaning of the instantaneous rate of change in calculus.

That's not even the original meaning. According to etymology section on wiktionary, it dates back to middle french and latin, before issac newton was even born.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/derivative#Etymology