# dependency

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɪˈpɛndənsi/ · frequency rank #14,509

## Definitions
1. A state of dependence; a refusal to exercise initiative.
2. Something dependent on, or subordinate to, something else
3. The status of being a legal dependent; the relationship between a dependent and their provider.
4. A colony, or a territory subject to rule by an external power.
5. A dependence on a habit-forming substance such as a drug or alcohol.
6. Reliance on the functionality provided by some other, external component.
7. An external component whose functionality is relied on.

## Etymology
From dependent + -cy or dependence + -y or depend + -ency.

## Easily confused with
- **dependent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dependency-vs-dependent)
- **dependence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dependence-vs-dependency)

## Common misspellings (16)
`ddependency`, `deepndency`, `depednency`, `dependdency`, `dependecny`, `dependenccy`, `dependencyy`, `dependenncy`, `dependenyc`, `dependnecy`, `depenedncy`, `depenndency`, `depnedency`, `deppendency`, `dpeendency`, `edpendency`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dependency