Added 9 October 2026
dependent
/dɪˈpɛndənt/ noun
Latin root: dēpendēns Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about dependent at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
adjective
-
Relying on or requiring a person or thing for support, supply, or what is needed.
dependent children
- Contingent on something else.
-
(of a clause) unable to stand alone syntactically as a complete sentence.
a subordinate (or dependent) clause functions as a noun or adjective or adverb within a sentence
Origin
From Middle English dependaunt, dependent, from Middle French dependant (present participle of dependre (“to depend”)) and Latin dēpendēns (present participle of dēpendeō (“to depend”)). By surface analysis, depend + -ent.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)