depending
English meaning: Depending
Definition
(followed by on or upon, formerly also by of) To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition; to hinge on.
Example
“We would like to go skiing, but it depends on the amount of snow.”
Another example: “The price changes depending on the time of year.”
Usage — When, Where & How
Present participle of 'depend', almost always followed by 'on' or 'upon'. Means being contingent on something. Extremely common in everyday and formal English, especially the hedging phrase 'depending on'.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Latin dependere 'to hang down, be contingent', from de- plus pendere 'to hang', dating to the 15th century.
Related Words
Common Collocations
- depending on
- depending upon
- depending heavily
- depending entirely
- depending largely
- varies depending
Word Forms
depend (v); depended; depending; dependent (adj); dependence (n)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
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