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dependency

or de·pend·an·cy

[dih-pen-duh n-see]
noun, plural de·pend·en·cies.
  1. the state of being dependent; dependence.
  2. something dependent or subordinate; appurtenance.
  3. an outbuilding or annex.
  4. a subject territory that is not an integral part of the ruling country.
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Origin of dependency

First recorded in 1585–95; dependence + -y3
Related formsnon·de·pend·an·cy, noun, plural non·de·pend·an·cies.non·de·pend·en·cy, noun, plural non·de·pend·en·cies.self-de·pend·en·cy, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for dependancy

dependency

sometimes US dependancy

noun plural -cies
  1. a territory subject to a state on which it does not border
  2. a dependent or subordinate person or thing
  3. psychol overreliance by a person on another person or on a drug, etc
  4. another word for dependence
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dependancy

n.

early variant of dependency, rare since c.1800; see -ance.

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dependency

1590s (adj.), 1610s (n.); see dependent + -cy. Originally also dependancy, on the French model, but the Latinate form gradually pushed this into disuse; see -ance. Meaning "territory subordinate to another nation" is recorded from 1680s.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper