pendant

[ pen-duh nt ]

/ ˈpɛn dənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pendant ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

penciliform, penciling, pend, pend oreille, penda, pendant, pendelikon, pendency, pendent, pendente lite, pendentive

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 forms

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

Can be confused

pendant pendent pennant pundit

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
One arm lay along the back of the lounge which she occupied, the other was pendant at her side.
The Truth About Tristrem Varick|Edgar Saltus
Or we may imagine a long chain, with a pendant attached to each tenth or one-hundredth link.
The Whence and the Whither of Man|John Mason Tyler
Indeed, I much prefer the corsage ornaments you showed me just now, and the pendant.
Ticket No. "9672"|Jules Verne
At the end of the seventeenth century a "suit of colours" included ensign, jack and pendant.
British Flags|W. G. Perrin
But, starting with his wife, he made a pendant each for all his womenfolk.
The Rainbow|D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

British Dictionary definitions for pendant

pendant

/ (ˈpɛndənt) /

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