DEPENDENCY

colony, dependency

(noun) a geographical area politically controlled by a distant country

dependence, dependance, dependency

(noun) the state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else

addiction, dependence, dependance, dependency, habituation

(noun) being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming (especially alcohol or narcotic drugs)

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Noun

dependency (countable and uncountable, plural dependencies)

A state of dependence; a refusal to exercise initiative.

Something dependent on, or subordinate to, something else

A colony, or a territory subject to rule by an external power.

A dependence on a habit-forming substance such as a drug or alcohol; addiction.

(computing) Reliance on the functionality provided by some other, external component.

(computing) An external component whose functionality is relied on.

Source: Wiktionary

De*pend"en*cy, n.; pl. Dependencies (.

1. State of being dependent; dependence; state of being subordinate; subordination; concatenation; connection; reliance; trust. Any long series of action, the parts of which have very much dependency each on the other. Sir J. Reynolds. So that they may acknowledge their dependency on the crown of England. Bacon.

2. A thing hanging down; a dependence.

3. That which is attached to something else as its consequence, subordinate, satellite, and the like. This earth and its dependencies. T. Burnet. Modes I call such complex ideas which . . . are considered as dependencies on or affections of substances. Locke.

4. A territory remote from the kingdom or state to which it belongs, but subject to its dominion; a colony; as, Great Britain has its dependencies in Asia, Africa, and America.

Note: Dependence is more used in the abstract, and dependency in the concrete. The latter is usually restricted in meaning to 3 and 4.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition