pendant

C2+ Topic:Clothing & Appearance

US /ˈpɛndənt/ UK /ˈpɛndənt/ See IPA manual

Homophones

pendent /ˈpɛndənt/

Meanings

1

noun
a piece of jewelry that hangs from a chain worn around the neck

She wore a silver pendant shaped like a tiny anchor.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a piece of jewelry that... locket medallion charm drop amulet

Word family

Related forms pendent pending pendulum depend penchant

Simplified etymology

Pendant entered English in the Middle English period from Old French penda(u)nt, “hanging,” ultimately from Latin pendere, “to hang.” It first denoted a downward-projecting architectural ornament and was later applied to a jewel attached to clothing, then to one hanging from a necklace. Its use for a ceiling-hung light fitting dates from the mid-19th century.

Etymology

From Old French pendant ('hanging'), present participle of pendre ('to hang'), from Latin pendere ('to hang').

pendant Old French pendere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Clothing & Appearance Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# pendant

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈpɛndənt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈpɛndənt/

## Meanings
1. a piece of jewelry that hangs from a chain worn around the neck

## Examples
- She wore a silver pendant shaped like a tiny anchor.

## Synonyms
- locket
- medallion
- charm
- drop
- amulet

## Related Forms
- pendent
- pending
- pendulum
- depend
- penchant

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: pendant
- Root: pendere

## Etymology
From Old French pendant ('hanging'), present participle of pendre ('to hang'), from Latin pendere ('to hang').

## AI Etymology
Pendant comes from Old French pendant ('hanging'), present participle of pendre ('to hang'), from Latin pendere ('to hang'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a noun, it denotes "a piece of jewelry that hangs from a chain worn around the neck", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Old French pendant and Latin pendere. Related words include pendent, pending, pendulum, depend, penchant.

## Topics
- Clothing & Appearance
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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