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Noun: dependency  di'pen-dun(t)-see
  1. The state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else
    "The country's economic dependency on oil exports made it vulnerable to price fluctuations";
    - dependence, dependance [non-standard]
     
  2. Being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming (especially alcohol or narcotic drugs)
    "His dependency on painkillers worried his family";
    - addiction, dependence, dependance [non-standard], habituation
     
  3. A geographical area politically controlled by a distant country
    "Guam remains a dependency of the United States";
    - colony

Derived forms: dependencies

Type of: geographic area, geographic region, geographical area, geographical region, physical condition, physiological condition, physiological state, state

Encyclopedia: Dependency