pendulous

American  

[pen-juh-luhs, pen-duh-] / ˈpɛn dʒə ləs, ˈpɛn də- /

adjective

1. hanging down loosely.

   pendulous blossoms.

   Synonyms:

   pendent

2. swinging freely; oscillating.

3. vacillating or undecided; wavering.

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pendulous British  

/ ˈpɛndjʊləs /

adjective

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

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Other Word Forms

• pendulously adverb
• pendulousness noun
• semipendulous adjective
• semipendulously adverb
• semipendulousness noun
• unpendulous adjective
• unpendulously adverb
• unpendulousness noun

Etymology

Origin of pendulous

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

Explanation

Walking a path with pendulous trees, the kind with hanging branches, is easier if you're five rather than seven feet tall. Pendulous most commonly refers to branches of trees or bushes, or other plant matter like flowers or leaves that droop or bend downward. You could hide easily in the Amazon rain forest because of all the pendulous plant life. When not referring to plants, pendulous means "saggy" or "droopy."

Example Sentences

Waldron was the epitome of style and urbanity in jazz, from his pendulous brown cigarette dangling from his fingers to his signature coifed natural Black hair that grew into a stately white.

From Washington Post • Sep. 30, 2022

The flower stalks typically reach over 10 feet tall and are adorned with as many as 20 strikingly beautiful, wonderfully fragrant, white, red-throated pendulous trumpet blooms.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 23, 2022

A nodding hippie of a plant, Datisca cannabina is a woody perennial with vaguely cannabislike foliage; it sports pendulous, shaggy, fragrant wands of flowers that set chains of love-bead seeds.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2017

If you won’t consider a slightly shorter tie or a slightly chunkier knot, adding a vest to the mix would go a long way to at least keep that pendulous cravat under wraps.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2016

Her mother-in-law, who had a fleshy-tipped nose and a pendulous, manly face, snatched the flower from Celia’s ear and crushed it in her hand.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Related Words

• dangling
• hanging
• pendent