Where does “independent” come from?
Independent derives from French indépendant, meaning not dependent or self-governing.
independent (English): Not dependent; not contingent or depending on...
Definitions
- Not dependent; not contingent or depending on...
Ancestry of “independent”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | indépendant | independent |
| 2 | French | dépendant | present participle of dépendre; dependent;... |
| 3 | French | dépendre | to depend |
| 4 | Italian | dipendere | to depend (on something), to be up to (someone), to hang (on), to come from, to be due to |
| 5 | Spanish | depender | to depend, to be subject to; to depend on, to... |
| 6 | Latin | dependeo | I hang down, from or on; I wait for; I am... |
| 7 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 8 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 9 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 10 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |