Dependances

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Structures that are subordinate or secondary to a main building; outbuildings or annexes that serve as auxiliary spaces; smaller properties or quarters reliant on a principal estate
2. Auxiliary buildings or extensions connected to a principal structure; subsidiary dwellings or service quarters linked to a main residence; dependent premises forming part of a larger complex
3. Secondary constructions associated with a primary building; outlying units serving supporting functions; smaller accommodations or annexes connected to a chief property

Etymology: "Dependances" is the plural of "dependance," a spelling that keeps the French look of its source. The noun comes from Middle French "dépendance," built from the verb "depend" and the suffix "-ance," which turns a verb into a noun for a state, action or condition. The sense of something hanging from a larger whole runs through the root: a "dependance" was originally the condition of being dependent or subordinate, and the meaning of an outlying building grew from that idea of something belonging to and reliant on a main house. The plural form matters here. English speakers often write "dependances" with the French-style spelling to signal an architectural or estate sense, while "dependencies" is the more common anglicised spelling. Both forms point to the same idea: each outbuilding exists because of, and in service to, the principal residence it hangs from.

Synonyms: dependencies, outbuildings, annexes, subsidiaries, satellites