'direction-dependent' is a modern English compound formed from the noun 'direction' and the adjective 'dependent'. 'Direction' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'directio', where the root 'dirigere' meant 'to direct/guide'; 'dependent' originates from Latin 'dependere', where the prefix 'de-' and root 'pendere' meant 'down' and 'to hang' (hence 'rely on').

'direction' came into English via Old French and Late Latin (from Latin 'directio'), and 'dependent' came into English via Old French from Latin 'dependere'; the compound 'direction-dependent' is a more recent English formation combining these elements to describe dependence on direction.

Initially, the component words meant 'the act of directing' (direction) and 'to hang down/ be contingent' (dependent); combined in modern usage they mean 'having properties that depend on direction' — a technical, descriptive sense used especially in science and engineering.