path-dependent
|path-de-pen-dent|
🇺🇸
/ˈpæθdɪˌpɛndənt/
🇬🇧
/ˈpɑːθdɪˌpɛndənt/
depends on prior path/history
Etymology
'path-dependent' is a compound formed from 'path' + 'dependent'. 'path' originates from Old English 'pæð' meaning 'way, track', and 'dependent' ultimately comes from Latin 'dependere' (via Old French 'dependent'), meaning 'to hang down' or 'to rely'.
'path' developed from Old English 'pæð' into Middle English 'path' and then modern English 'path'; 'dependere' transformed into Old French 'dependent' and then entered Middle English as 'dependent', combining with 'path' in modern usage to form the compound 'path-dependent' (20th century specialization in economics and science).
Individually, 'path' originally meant 'way or track' and 'dependent' originally implied 'hanging down' or 'reliant'; combined as 'path-dependent' the phrase initially meant simply 'depending on the path' and later acquired a technical sense in economics/complexity for outcomes determined by historical sequences (lock-in).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
depending on the particular historical sequence of events (the 'path'); an outcome or process whose result is influenced by prior steps rather than only current conditions.
Technological adoption can be path-dependent: an early advantage for one standard may determine the long-term winner.
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Adjective 2
in economics, political science, and complexity theory: exhibiting 'lock-in' or multiple possible outcomes because small historical differences or chance events produce divergent long-term equilibria.
Path-dependent processes in market evolution can lead to persistent inefficiencies once a suboptimal standard is locked in.
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Last updated: 2025/09/09 01:55