pendular

American  

[pen-juh-ler, pen-duh-] / ˈpɛn dʒə lər, ˈpɛn də- /

adjective

1. of or relating to a pendulum.

2. of or resembling the motion of a pendulum.

   a pendular vibration.

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Etymology

Origin of pendular

First recorded in 1875–80; pendul(um) + -ar ¹

Explanation

Something that's pendular swings back and forth as it's dangled from above. A hypnotist in an old movie will inevitably mesmerize his patient by holding a pendular pocket watch and saying, "You're getting very sleepy." Pendular things resemble a pendulum, a word from the Latin pendere, "to hang." The classic example is a clock counting the seconds with pendular movements, like a black cat clock with moving eyeballs and a pendular tail that swings back and forth from a fixed point. You can also use this word figuratively for things that move through regular cycles: "Elections tend to be pendular, so the President's party will probably lose in the midterms."

Example Sentences

The two dancers, accompanied by metronomic clicks and clangs, oscillated like parts of a machine built to do a pendular, hip-wagging dance like the floss.

From New York Times • Jan. 16, 2022

He’ll be handing over this luxury commemorative gift, boasting elegant stitching, gold pendular cords and a generous quantity of velvety yet durable tassel, to his opposite number Fabian Lustenberger.

From The Guardian • Dec. 8, 2021

The arc of every private moral sphere is in constant pendular motion.

From Washington Post • Aug. 18, 2021

If you believe luck manifests itself in broad, pendular swings, then Curry and Thompson’s ankle injuries probably look pretty significant.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2019

Helmholtz put forward the hypothesis that, when a pendular vibration reaches the ear, it excites by sympathetic vibration the fibre of Corti which is tuned for its proper number of vibrations.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2 "Hearing" to "Helmond" by Various