The term "dependent" refers to someone or something that relies on another for support or assistance. In a social context, a dependent person may be a child or an individual who requires care due to age, disability, or health issues. This reliance can manifest in various forms, such as financial, emotional, or physical support. In economics, "dependent" can describe a variable that changes in response to another variable. For example, in a mathematical equation, the dependent variable is influenced by the independent variable. Understanding these relationships is crucial in fields like science and statistics, where analyzing dependencies helps in making predictions and informed decisions.