dependee

English

Etymology

depend +‎ -ee (“target of action”)

Noun

dependee (plural dependees)

1. (programming) An agent that is depended on by a depender, the target of a dependency (used in agent-oriented programming)

Usage notes

Technical term, not widely used in software engineering outside of agent-oriented programming but finds some use. In agent-oriented programming the antonym is depender, though in general usage the common term dependent is used instead. There is no common language equivalent for dependee, however – other metaphors are used instead, such as parent/child. The circumlocutions “A depends on B” and “B is depended on by A” are much more common in general use than “A is the depender, B is the dependee”.

Antonyms

• depender

Related terms

• dependency
• dependum

Further reading

• What is the correct word for “dependee”?, StackExchange

Anagrams

• Deepdene, deepened