pendant

American  

[pen-duhnt] / ˈpɛn dənt /

noun

1. a hanging ornament, as an earring or the main piece suspended from a necklace.

2. an ornament suspended from a roof, vault, or ceiling.

3. a hanging electrical lighting fixture; chandelier.

4. that by which something is suspended, as the ringed stem of a watch.

5. a match, parallel, companion, or counterpart.

6. Nautical. Also a length of rope attached to a masthead, the end of a yardarm, etc., and having a block or thimble secured to its free end.

---

adjective

1. pendent.

pendant British  

/ ˈpɛndənt /

noun

1. 1. an ornament that hangs from a piece of jewellery

   2. a necklace with such an ornament

2. a hanging light, esp a chandelier

3. a carved ornament that is suspended from a ceiling or roof

4. something that matches or complements something else

5. Also called: pennant.  nautical a length of wire or rope secured at one end to a mast or spar and having a block or other fitting at the lower end

---

adjective

1. a variant spelling of pendent

Other Word Forms

• nonpendant adjective
• pendanted adjective
• pendantlike adjective
• unpendant adjective

Etymology

Origin of pendant

1300–50; Middle English pendaunt < Anglo-French; Middle French pendant, noun use of present participle of pendre to hang < Vulgar Latin *pendere for Latin pendēre. See pend, -ant

Example Sentences

Her sweeping black dress was covered in silver stars, and a heavy moon pendant hung from a long chain around her neck.

From Literature

Research led by the British Museum has revealed that the Tudor Heart pendant may have been made to celebrate the betrothal of their two-year-old daughter Princess Mary to the eight-month-old French heir-apparent in 1518.

From BBC

An attendant kept track of each seller's position in the queue, and helped to deposit ornate pendants, hammered rings and commemorative coins into an opening in the device.

From Barron's

The store holds showstoppers such as Roman statue heads and a gold 'three lions' pendant from the 13th-14th Century.

From BBC

One of Norfolk's more unusual 2024 finds was an early medieval gold coin, pierced to be worn as a pendant.

From BBC

Related Words

• dangling
• hanging
• overhanging
• pendent
• pendulous
• pensile