path dependence

noun

A situation in which the outcome varies with the route taken.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounpath dependence (usually uncountable, plural path dependences)

plural path dependences · alternative path dependency

  1. countableusuallyA situation in which the outcome varies with the route taken.
  2. uncountableusuallyeconomicsThe theory that a technological option selected by the market need not be the technologically best one, because of the traction obtained by an early-introduced, technologically inferior alternative option.

Translations

Korean 경로 의존성
  • 경로 의존성 (gyeongno uijonseong)a situation
Swedish stigberoende, spårbundenhet
  • stigberoendea situation
  • spårbundenheta situation
Cite this entry
APA

path dependence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/path%20dependence

MLA

“path dependence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/path%20dependence. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “path dependence,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/path%20dependence.

Source: path dependence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.