Transitive Dependency
Noun · Open Source
Definitions
A dependency brought into a project indirectly through another dependency rather than declared directly by the top-level project. Transitive dependencies are a major source of supply chain risk and hidden complexity because teams may rely on them without realizing it.
In plain English: A dependency your project gets indirectly because one of your dependencies depends on it.
Example: "The vulnerable library was not in our manifest, but it still shipped through a transitive dependency three layers deep."