No Matter How You Say It: Dependability
In Other Languages
Spanish – confianza
French – fiabilité
German – Zuverlässigkeit
Italian – affidabilità
Swedish – pålitlighet
Welsh – dibyniaeth
Polish – rzetelność
Word Origin
De- is the Latin prefix meaning “down” or “from” combined with the word pendere (“to hang”)
Can you see how Dependability is something reliable enough “to hang from.”
Sign Language
Can you see the hanging reference from the Latin in the Depend Sign and Unreliable as the opposite?
Dependability Idioms
- A beacon of hope
- A pillar of strength
- A rock
- A safe pair of hands
- A true friend
- Always there for you
- An anchor in the storm
- As if one’s life depended on it
- As reliable as the sunrise
- As solid as a rock
- Come through in the clutch
- Depend on the kindness of strangers
- Dependable
- Good as your word
- He’s got your back
- Man/woman of his/her word
- Old Faithful
- Old Reliable
- On the dot
- Reliable
- Rock solid
- Salt of the earth
- See someone through thick and thin
- Someone who follows through
- Someone who is always there to pick up the pieces
- Someone who is always there with a helping hand
- Someone who is always there with a listening ear
- Someone who puts others first
- Someone who walks the walk
- Someone you can set your watch by
- Someone you can trust with your life
- The backbone of the team
- Tried and tested
- True Blue
- You can count on me