frequency-dependently
|fre-quen-cy-de-pend-ent-ly|
/ˈfriːkwənsi dɪˈpɛndəntli/
(frequency-dependent)
depends on frequency
Etymology
'frequency-dependently' is built from the noun 'frequency' + the adjective 'dependent' + the adverbial suffix '-ly'. 'frequency' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'frequentia', where 'frequens' meant 'repeated' or 'crowded'; 'dependent' ultimately originates from Latin 'dependēre', where the prefix 'de-' meant 'from' and 'pendere' meant 'to hang'; the suffix '-ly' comes from Old English '-lic' meaning 'having the nature of'.
'frequency' passed into Middle English via Old French/Middle English forms from Latin 'frequentia'; 'depend' changed from Latin 'dependēre' to Old French 'dependre' and Middle English 'dependen', yielding modern 'depend' and the adjective 'dependent'; adding '-ly' formed the adverb 'dependently', and compounding with 'frequency' produced 'frequency-dependent' and then 'frequency-dependently'.
Originally 'frequentia' meant 'crowdedness' or 'repetition' and 'dependēre' literally meant 'to hang from'; over time these developed into abstract senses: 'frequency' as 'how often' and 'dependent' as 'relying on', so the compound now means 'depending on how often'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
being contingent on frequency; whose effect or magnitude depends on the frequency of occurrence (this is the base_form 'frequency-dependent').
Many ecological interactions are frequency-dependent.
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Adverb 1
in a manner that varies according to frequency; depending on how often something occurs (used especially in ecology, genetics, and signal processing).
Allele frequencies changed frequency-dependently under the experimental conditions.
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Last updated: 2025/12/15 18:51