dependent variable: Meaning and Definition of

depend'ent var'iable

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a variable in a functional relation whose value is determined by the values assumed by other variables in the relation, as y in the relation y = 3x.
  2. (in an experiment) the event studied and expected to change when the independent variable is changed.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.