diff --git a/derive.go b/derive.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..11bb202
--- /dev/null
+++ b/derive.go
@@ -0,0 +1,296 @@
+package metrics
+
+import (
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// Derive count events to produce exponentially-weighted moving average rates
+// at one-, five-, and fifteen-minutes and a mean rate. It expects always
+// increasing values. The first call to Mark() initializes the base value. Any
+// following calls update the value as difference to the base and update the
+// base to the currently passed value. When the new value is smaller than the
+// current one, the values are Clear()'d.
+type Derive interface {
+	Count() int64
+	Base() int64
+	Mark(int64)
+	Rate1() float64
+	Rate5() float64
+	Rate15() float64
+	RateMean() float64
+	Snapshot() Derive
+	Clear()
+}
+
+// UseNilDerive is set to true to use NilDerive type for a standard Derive
+var UseNilDerive bool
+
+// GetOrRegisterDerive returns an existing Derive or constructs and registers a
+// new StandardDerive.
+func GetOrRegisterDerive(name string, r Registry) Derive {
+	if r == nil {
+		r = DefaultRegistry
+	}
+	return r.GetOrRegister(name, NewDerive).(Derive)
+}
+
+// NewDerive constructs a new StandardDerive and launches a goroutine.
+func NewDerive() Derive {
+	if UseNilDerive {
+		return NilDerive{}
+	}
+	m := newStandardDerive()
+	derives.Lock()
+	defer derives.Unlock()
+
+	derives.meters = append(derives.meters, m)
+	if !derives.started {
+		derives.started = true
+		go derives.tick()
+	}
+	return m
+}
+
+// NewRegisteredDerive constructs and registers a new StandardDerive
+// and launches a goroutine.
+func NewRegisteredDerive(name string, r Registry) Derive {
+	c := NewDerive()
+	if nil == r {
+		r = DefaultRegistry
+	}
+	r.Register(name, c)
+	return c
+}
+
+// DeriveSnapshot is a read-only copy of another Derive.
+type DeriveSnapshot struct {
+	count, base                    int64
+	rate1, rate5, rate15, rateMean float64
+	initialized                    bool
+}
+
+// Count returns the count of events at the time the snapshot was taken.
+func (m *DeriveSnapshot) Count() int64 { return m.count }
+
+// Mark panics.
+func (*DeriveSnapshot) Mark(n int64) {
+	panic("Mark called on a DeriveSnapshot")
+}
+
+// Base returns the current base value for Mark()s
+func (m *DeriveSnapshot) Base() int64 { return m.base }
+
+// Rate1 returns the one-minute moving average rate of events per second at the
+// time the snapshot was taken.
+func (m *DeriveSnapshot) Rate1() float64 { return m.rate1 }
+
+// Rate5 returns the five-minute moving average rate of events per second at
+// the time the snapshot was taken.
+func (m *DeriveSnapshot) Rate5() float64 { return m.rate5 }
+
+// Rate15 returns the fifteen-minute moving average rate of events per second
+// at the time the snapshot was taken.
+func (m *DeriveSnapshot) Rate15() float64 { return m.rate15 }
+
+// RateMean returns the meter's mean rate of events per second at the time the
+// snapshot was taken.
+func (m *DeriveSnapshot) RateMean() float64 { return m.rateMean }
+
+// Snapshot returns the snapshot.
+func (m *DeriveSnapshot) Snapshot() Derive { return m }
+
+// Clear is a no-op.
+func (m *DeriveSnapshot) Clear() {}
+
+// NilDerive is a no-op Derive.
+type NilDerive struct{}
+
+// Base is a no-op.
+func (NilDerive) Base() int64 { return 0 }
+
+// Count is a no-op.
+func (NilDerive) Count() int64 { return 0 }
+
+// Mark is a no-op.
+func (NilDerive) Mark(n int64) {}
+
+// Rate1 is a no-op.
+func (NilDerive) Rate1() float64 { return 0.0 }
+
+// Rate5 is a no-op.
+func (NilDerive) Rate5() float64 { return 0.0 }
+
+// Rate15 is a no-op.
+func (NilDerive) Rate15() float64 { return 0.0 }
+
+// RateMean is a no-op.
+func (NilDerive) RateMean() float64 { return 0.0 }
+
+// Snapshot is a no-op.
+func (NilDerive) Snapshot() Derive { return NilDerive{} }
+
+// Clear is a no-op.
+func (NilDerive) Clear() {}
+
+// StandardDerive is the standard implementation of a Meter.
+type StandardDerive struct {
+	lock        sync.RWMutex
+	snapshot    *DeriveSnapshot
+	a1, a5, a15 EWMA
+	startTime   time.Time
+}
+
+func newStandardDerive() *StandardDerive {
+	return &StandardDerive{
+		snapshot:  &DeriveSnapshot{},
+		a1:        NewEWMA1(),
+		a5:        NewEWMA5(),
+		a15:       NewEWMA15(),
+		startTime: time.Now(),
+	}
+}
+
+// Clear clears the Derive
+func (m *StandardDerive) Clear() {
+	derives.Lock()
+	defer derives.Unlock()
+	m.clear()
+}
+
+func (m *StandardDerive) clear() {
+	m.snapshot = &DeriveSnapshot{}
+	m.a1 = NewEWMA1()
+	m.a5 = NewEWMA5()
+	m.a15 = NewEWMA15()
+	m.startTime = time.Now()
+}
+
+// Base returns the current base value used for Mark()
+func (m *StandardDerive) Base() int64 {
+	m.lock.RLock()
+	base := m.snapshot.base
+	m.lock.RUnlock()
+	return base
+}
+
+// Count returns the number of events recorded.
+func (m *StandardDerive) Count() int64 {
+	m.lock.RLock()
+	count := m.snapshot.count
+	m.lock.RUnlock()
+	return count
+}
+
+// Mark records the occurance of n events.
+func (m *StandardDerive) Mark(n int64) {
+	m.lock.Lock()
+	defer m.lock.Unlock()
+	if !m.snapshot.initialized {
+		m.snapshot.base = n
+		m.snapshot.initialized = true
+		return
+	}
+
+	switch {
+	case m.snapshot.base == n:
+		// nothing happened
+	case m.snapshot.base < n: // default case ;-)
+		diff := n - m.snapshot.base
+		m.snapshot.count += diff
+		m.snapshot.base = n
+		m.a1.Update(diff)
+		m.a5.Update(diff)
+		m.a15.Update(diff)
+		m.updateSnapshot()
+	default: // base > n: counter reset
+		m.clear()
+		m.snapshot.base = n
+		m.snapshot.initialized = true
+	}
+}
+
+// Rate1 returns the one-minute moving average rate of events per second.
+func (m *StandardDerive) Rate1() float64 {
+	m.lock.RLock()
+	rate1 := m.snapshot.rate1
+	m.lock.RUnlock()
+	return rate1
+}
+
+// Rate5 returns the five-minute moving average rate of events per second.
+func (m *StandardDerive) Rate5() float64 {
+	m.lock.RLock()
+	rate5 := m.snapshot.rate5
+	m.lock.RUnlock()
+	return rate5
+}
+
+// Rate15 returns the fifteen-minute moving average rate of events per second.
+func (m *StandardDerive) Rate15() float64 {
+	m.lock.RLock()
+	rate15 := m.snapshot.rate15
+	m.lock.RUnlock()
+	return rate15
+}
+
+// RateMean returns the meter's mean rate of events per second.
+func (m *StandardDerive) RateMean() float64 {
+	m.lock.RLock()
+	rateMean := m.snapshot.rateMean
+	m.lock.RUnlock()
+	return rateMean
+}
+
+// Snapshot returns a read-only copy of the meter.
+func (m *StandardDerive) Snapshot() Derive {
+	m.lock.RLock()
+	snapshot := *m.snapshot
+	m.lock.RUnlock()
+	return &snapshot
+}
+
+func (m *StandardDerive) updateSnapshot() {
+	// should run with write lock held on m.lock
+	snapshot := m.snapshot
+	snapshot.rate1 = m.a1.Rate()
+	snapshot.rate5 = m.a5.Rate()
+	snapshot.rate15 = m.a15.Rate()
+	snapshot.rateMean = float64(snapshot.count) / time.Since(m.startTime).Seconds()
+}
+
+func (m *StandardDerive) tick() {
+	m.lock.Lock()
+	defer m.lock.Unlock()
+	m.a1.Tick()
+	m.a5.Tick()
+	m.a15.Tick()
+	m.updateSnapshot()
+}
+
+type deriveArbiter struct {
+	sync.RWMutex
+	started bool
+	meters  []*StandardDerive
+	ticker  *time.Ticker
+}
+
+var derives = deriveArbiter{ticker: time.NewTicker(5e9)}
+
+// Ticks meters on the scheduled interval
+func (ma *deriveArbiter) tick() {
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ma.ticker.C:
+			ma.tickMeters()
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func (ma *deriveArbiter) tickMeters() {
+	ma.RLock()
+	defer ma.RUnlock()
+	for _, meter := range ma.meters {
+		meter.tick()
+	}
+}
diff --git a/json.go b/json.go
index 2fdcbcf..6264360 100644
--- a/json.go
+++ b/json.go
@@ -45,6 +45,13 @@ func (r *StandardRegistry) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 			values["5m.rate"] = m.Rate5()
 			values["15m.rate"] = m.Rate15()
 			values["mean.rate"] = m.RateMean()
+		case Derive:
+			m := metric.Snapshot()
+			values["count"] = m.Count()
+			values["1m.rate"] = m.Rate1()
+			values["5m.rate"] = m.Rate5()
+			values["15m.rate"] = m.Rate15()
+			values["mean.rate"] = m.RateMean()
 		case Timer:
 			t := metric.Snapshot()
 			ps := t.Percentiles([]float64{0.5, 0.75, 0.95, 0.99, 0.999})
diff --git a/log.go b/log.go
index f8074c0..04cf1c6 100644
--- a/log.go
+++ b/log.go
@@ -56,6 +56,15 @@ func LogScaled(r Registry, freq time.Duration, scale time.Duration, l Logger) {
 				l.Printf("  5-min rate:  %12.2f\n", m.Rate5())
 				l.Printf("  15-min rate: %12.2f\n", m.Rate15())
 				l.Printf("  mean rate:   %12.2f\n", m.RateMean())
+			case Derive:
+				m := metric.Snapshot()
+				l.Printf("meter %s\n", name)
+				l.Printf("  base:       %9d\n", m.Base())
+				l.Printf("  count:       %9d\n", m.Count())
+				l.Printf("  1-min rate:  %12.2f\n", m.Rate1())
+				l.Printf("  5-min rate:  %12.2f\n", m.Rate5())
+				l.Printf("  15-min rate: %12.2f\n", m.Rate15())
+				l.Printf("  mean rate:   %12.2f\n", m.RateMean())
 			case Timer:
 				t := metric.Snapshot()
 				ps := t.Percentiles([]float64{0.5, 0.75, 0.95, 0.99, 0.999})
diff --git a/registry.go b/registry.go
index 2bb7a1e..9df772a 100644
--- a/registry.go
+++ b/registry.go
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ func (r *StandardRegistry) register(name string, i interface{}) error {
 		return DuplicateMetric(name)
 	}
 	switch i.(type) {
-	case Counter, Gauge, GaugeFloat64, Healthcheck, Histogram, Meter, Timer:
+	case Counter, Gauge, GaugeFloat64, Healthcheck, Histogram, Meter, Timer, Derive:
 		r.metrics[name] = i
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/syslog.go b/syslog.go
index 693f190..e582076 100644
--- a/syslog.go
+++ b/syslog.go
@@ -51,6 +51,18 @@ func Syslog(r Registry, d time.Duration, w *syslog.Writer) {
 					m.Rate15(),
 					m.RateMean(),
 				))
+			case Derive:
+				m := metric.Snapshot()
+				w.Info(fmt.Sprintf(
+					"derive %s: count: %d base: %d 1-min: %.2f 5-min: %.2f 15-min: %.2f mean: %.2f",
+					name,
+					m.Count(),
+					m.Base(),
+					m.Rate1(),
+					m.Rate5(),
+					m.Rate15(),
+					m.RateMean(),
+				))
 			case Timer:
 				t := metric.Snapshot()
 				ps := t.Percentiles([]float64{0.5, 0.75, 0.95, 0.99, 0.999})
diff --git a/writer.go b/writer.go
index 091e971..38feda7 100644
--- a/writer.go
+++ b/writer.go
@@ -61,6 +61,15 @@ func WriteOnce(r Registry, w io.Writer) {
 			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  5-min rate:  %12.2f\n", m.Rate5())
 			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  15-min rate: %12.2f\n", m.Rate15())
 			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  mean rate:   %12.2f\n", m.RateMean())
+		case Derive:
+			m := metric.Snapshot()
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "meter %s\n", namedMetric.name)
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  base:        %9d\n", m.Base())
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  count:       %9d\n", m.Count())
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  1-min rate:  %12.2f\n", m.Rate1())
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  5-min rate:  %12.2f\n", m.Rate5())
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  15-min rate: %12.2f\n", m.Rate15())
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  mean rate:   %12.2f\n", m.RateMean())
 		case Timer:
 			t := metric.Snapshot()
 			ps := t.Percentiles([]float64{0.5, 0.75, 0.95, 0.99, 0.999})