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definitions

pendant

[ pen-duh nt ]
/ ˈpɛn dənt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pendant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Also pendent.

adjective

pendent.

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. penciliform,
  2. penciling,
  3. pend,
  4. pend oreille,
  5. penda,
  6. pendelikon,
  7. pendency,
  8. pendent,
  9. pendente lite,
  10. 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 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

Examples from the Web for pendant

British Dictionary definitions for pendant

pendant

/ (ˈpɛndənt) /

noun

  1. an ornament that hangs from a piece of jewellery
  2. 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

pendant

n.

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].

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper