Breadcrumb Home > Dictionary > Index D derris: Meaning and Definition of Find definitions for: der•ris Pronunciation: (der'is), [key] — n. any East Indian plant belonging to the genus Derris, of the legume family, esp. D. elliptica, the roots of which contain rotenone and are used as an insecticide. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease. See also: derris (Thesaurus) derringer derry ✖ Related Content Daily Word Quiz: legerdemain Analogy of the Day: Today’s Analogy Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language