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in·de·pen·dent (ĭn′dĭ-pĕndənt)
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adj.
1. Not governed by a foreign power; self-governing.
2. Free from the influence, guidance, or control of another or others; self-reliant: an independent mind.
3. Not determined or influenced by someone or something else; not contingent: a decision independent of the outcome of the study.
4. often Independent Affiliated with or loyal to no one political party or organization.
5. Not dependent on or affiliated with a larger or controlling entity: an independent food store; an independent film.
6.
a. Not relying on others for support, care, or funds; self-supporting.
b. Providing or being sufficient income to enable one to live without working: a person of independent means.
7. Mathematics
a. Not dependent on other variables.
b. Of or relating to a system of equations no one of which can be derived from another equation in the system.
8. Independent Of or relating to the 17th-century English Independents.
n.
1. often Independent One that is independent, especially a voter, officeholder, or political candidate who is not committed to a political party.
2. Independent A member of a movement in England in the 17th century advocating the political and religious independence of individual congregations.
3. Independent Chiefly British A Congregationalist.
in′de·pendent·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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