pendulous

[ pen-juh-luhs, pen-duh- ]

/ ˈpɛn dʒə ləs, ˈpɛn də- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pendulous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

hanging down loosely: pendulous blossoms.

swinging freely; oscillating.

vacillating or undecided; wavering.

Nearby words

pendragon, pendu, pendular, pendular nystagmus, pendule, pendulous, pendulum, pendulum effect, pendulum watch, pene-, penecontemporaneous

Origin of pendulous

First recorded in 1595–1605, pendulous is from the Latin word pendulus hanging, swinging. See pend, -ulous

SYNONYMS FOR pendulous

1 dangling, drooping, pendent, sagging.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pendulous ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

pen·du·lous·ly, adverbpen·du·lous·ness, nounsem·i·pen·du·lous, adjectivesem·i·pen·du·lous·ly, adverb

sem·i·pen·du·lous·ness, nounun·pen·du·lous, adjectiveun·pen·du·lous·ly, adverbun·pen·du·lous·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for pendulous

His huge shoulders hunched, his pendulous nose wobbled, his squinty eyes gleamed and he charged into the bar.
Asteroid of Fear|Raymond Zinke Gallun
This attention does not stop at the pendulous and loose prepuce.
History of Circumcision from the Earliest Times to the Present|Peter Charles Remondino
The chops wide and deep, not pendulous, completely covering the teeth when mouth is closed.
The Boston Terrier and All About It|Edward Axtell
Pendulous: drooping: hanging free, attached to one end only.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology|John. B. Smith

They hang bulging and pendulous, in one spot for some seconds.
Plum Pudding|Christopher Morley

British Dictionary definitions for pendulous

pendulous

/ (ˈpɛndjʊləs) /

adjective

hanging downwards, esp so as to swing from side to side

Derived Forms

pendulously, adverbpendulousness, noun

Word Origin for pendulous

C17: from Latin pendulus, from pendēre to hang down

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