dependent

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   relying on or requiring a person or thing for support, supply, or what is needed

   dependent children

2. 2
   adj

   (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

3. 3
   adj

   Relying upon; depending upon.

   At that point I was dependent on financial aid for my tuition.

4. 4
   adj

   Having a probability that is affected by the outcome of a separate event.

   The formula for finding the probability of one event followed by a dependent event is written P(A, B) = P(A) × P(B/A) where P(B/A) is read “the probability of B given A.”

5. 5
   adj

   Of part of the body: positioned lower than the heart, like the legs while standing up, or the back while supine.

   Several groups have shown that the gravitational distribution of pleural pressure is much more uniform when animals are in a prone rather than in a supine position, […] After volume-infusion-induced pulmonary oedema, Ppl was positive in the dependent lung regions in supine animals but much less positive in those in the prone position.

6. 6
   adj

   Hanging down.

   a dependent bough or leaf

7. 7
   noun

   A person who relies on another for support or sustenance, particularly financial support.

   With two children and an ailing mother, she had three dependents in all.

8. 8
   adj

   addicted to a drug

Etymology

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.