means The act or state of depending on someone or something with confidence that they will hold up their end.

from From Old French 'relier,' to bind or fasten together, which traces back to Latin 'religare' — 're-' (back) plus 'ligare' (to bind), the same root that gives us 'ligament' and 'ligature.' Add the noun-forming '-ance' and you get the perfect picture: reliance is the rope tied between two parties, the binding-back that keeps one from falling. The same Latin 'ligare' may also lurk behind 'religion,' though scholars argue about whether faith is a kind of binding or something else entirely.