Entry Word: reliance

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 something or someone to which one looks for support <heʼs been the familyʼs foremost reliance in times of trouble many times> — see dependence 2
2 the quality or state of needing something or someone <a babyʼs reliance on her parents> <his reliance on his neighbor for all the local gossip> — see dependence 1