pendant

[pen-duh nt]

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noun Also pendent.

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

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

a hanging electrical lighting fixture; chandelier.

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

a match, parallel, companion, or counterpart.

Also pennant. Nautical. 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

pendent.

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

Related formspend·ant·ed, adjectivepend·ant·like, adjectivenon·pend·ant, adjectiveun·pend·ant, adjective

Can be confusedpendant pendent pennant pundit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for pendant

gold, glass, ornament, treasure, bracelet, jewel, trinket, brooch, costume, necklace, knickknack, tiara, silver, gem, earring, strand, jewelry, choker, rosary, banner

Examples from the Web for pendant

Contemporary Examples of pendant

It was made by society jewelers Garrard, who refashioned the gems from a pendant she was given by her husband, George VI.
Kate Dazzles in Vintage Tiara
Tom Sykes
December 4, 2013
The pendant light is a flotilla of hot air balloons hand blown in glass.
OMG I Want That ...Nursery (Royal Edition)
Tom Sykes
May 9, 2013
It had a pendant that looked like a house, which to me signifies warmth and happiness.
Susan Cain: How I Write
Noah Charney
May 8, 2013
No one else will promise your milk won't turn yellow after receiving your pendant.
Rhode Island Woman Creates Jewelry Made From Breast Milk
Claire Stern
April 15, 2013
The pendant at the end of her gold-chain necklace dangles over her cleavage like an arrow pointing downward.
The 3-D Porn Revolution
Eric Pape
March 28, 2010

Historical Examples of pendant

This action of Congress is a pendant to the Academy of Sciences.
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863
Adam Gurowski
You'd have to ask any one to the wedding who gave you a pendant like that.
Howards End
E. M. Forster
Mr. Martin himself was no unworthy "pendant" to this portrait.
The Martins Of Cro' Martin, Vol. I (of II)
Charles James Lever
One face of this pendant was covered with scratches in a vandyked pattern.
The Clyde Mystery
Andrew Lang
A form of connection which has struts attached to a pendant post.
Carpentry for Boys
J. S. Zerbe

British Dictionary definitions for pendant

pendant

noun

an ornament that hangs from a piece of jewellery
a necklace with such an ornament

a hanging light, esp a chandelier

a carved ornament that is suspended from a ceiling or roof

something that matches or complements something else

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

a variant spelling of pendent

Word Origin for pendant

C14: from Old French, from pendre to hang, from Latin pendēre to hang down; related to Latin pendere to hang, pondus weight, Greek span to pull

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pendant

early 14c., "loose, hanging part of anything," from Anglo-French pendaunt "hanging" (c.1300), Old French pendant (13c.), noun use of present participle of pendre "to hang," from Latin pendere "to hang," from PIE root *(s)pen(d)- "to pull, draw, stretch" (see span (v.)). Meaning "dangling part of an earring" is attested from 1550s. Nautical sense of "tapering flag" is recorded from late 15c. "In this sense presumably a corruption of pennon" [OED].