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

Explanation

If you’re wearing a necklace with a large gold heart on a delicate chain, then you have a pendant, an ornament that hangs on a chain. The word pendant traces back to the Latin word, pendere, meaning "to hang," which tips you off that pendant is a word describing something that hangs, like an ornament that hangs on a chain or a type of light that hangs from the ceiling. As an adjective, pendant means "held from above," like the pendant rock formations that hang from the cave's ceiling.

Example Sentences

Until recently, Amanda, 47, always openly wore a Star of David pendant around her neck.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

On her necklace was a tiny pendant in the shape of a dove.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

He’s wearing a gold-rope chain with the Universal logo as a pendant, and gold-rimmed sunglasses that are square and lightly tinted.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

Pearls dangle at the ends of her pendant earrings, and three separate necklaces—studded, we think, with emeralds—draw the eye to her creamy neck.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

“I’ve been using her amulet, this ear pendant, to call on her for help along the way. La Llorona gave it to me. She was right when she said we’d need it.”

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Related Words

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