Dependant

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /dɪˈpɛndənt/

Definitions

1. A person who relies on another for support, typically financially, or someone who is subordinate in status or relationship to another
2. An individual who is supported by a primary provider, often in the context of family or legal obligations, or one who is contingent upon another for needs
3. A dependent individual is someone whose welfare may hinge upon another, including aspects of social, financial, or emotional reliance

Etymology: The spelling "dependant" is the older form of what is now usually written "dependent," and both trace back to the same Latin verb. Medieval scribes took it from Middle French "dependant," itself drawn from the Latin "dēpendēns," the present participle of "dēpendeō," meaning "to hang down" or "to depend." The image is literal: something hanging from something else, held up only by what it hangs from. That physical picture is what the English sense grew out of. A thing that hangs from a support depends on that support, and by extension a person who is held up by another, financially or in rank, came to be called dependent. Middle English recorded the form "dependaunt" in this sense, showing how early the idea of reliance was attached to the word. The "-ant" ending and the "-ent" ending are two spellings of the same Latin-derived suffix, which explains why both forms circulated for centuries. Today "dependent" is the standard spelling in both British and American English, while "dependant" survives mainly in British usage as a noun.

Synonyms: dependent, reliant, subordinate, follower, assistant

Antonyms: independent, self-sufficient, autonomous, free, self-reliant