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dependent word

[/dɪˈpɛndənt wɜːrd/]
nounpl: dependent words
palavra dependente
1. A word that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and requires another word or clause to express a complete thought; a word whose meaning or grammatical function depends on another word in the sentence
In the sentence 'Because it was raining, we stayed inside,' the word 'because' is a dependent word that introduces a dependent clause.
Na frase 'Porque estava chovendo, ficamos em casa', a palavra 'porque' é uma palavra dependente que introduz uma oração dependente.
2. In linguistics, a word that has a grammatical relationship of dependency with another word (head word) in a syntactic structure
Adjectives are often dependent words that modify nouns.
Adjetivos são frequentemente palavras dependentes que modificam substantivos.
Synonyms
subordinate wordfunction worddependent clause marker
Antonyms
independent wordhead wordmain word

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
palavra dependente
standard usage in Brazilian Portuguese grammar education
Portugal
palavra dependente
standard usage in European Portuguese, may also use 'palavra subordinada'

Related Idioms & Phrases

dependent clause
independent and dependent words
grammatical dependency
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