pendant

1 an adornment that hangs from a piece of jewelry (necklace or earring)

2 branched lighting fixture; often ornate; hangs from the ceiling [syn: chandelier]

see Pendant

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpendənt/

Homophones

• pendent

Noun

1. A piece of jewelery hung from a chain worn around the neck

Usage notes

Not to be confused with pedant, nor with lang=en.

Translations

Related terms

• to depend
• to impend
• penchant
• to pend
• pendent

French

Pronunciation

• /pɛ̃.dɛ̃/|lang=fr

Preposition

1. during, throughout

Adjective

1. hanging

Noun

fr-noun m

1. stone that dangles on earrings
2. match, counterpart

A pendant (from Old French) is a hanging object, generally attached to a necklace or an earring. In modern French this is a word meaning “during” (also the gerund form of "hanging"). Pendants have several purposes:

• ornamentation
• identification (i.e. religious symbols, sexual symbols, symbols of rock bands)
• protection (i.e. amulets, religious symbols)
• self-affirmation (i.e. initials, names)
• ostentation (i.e. jewels).
• award (i.e Scouting Ireland Chief Scout's Award, Order of CúChulainn)

These purposes can be combined (i.e. a richly jewelled symbol).

Other meanings

• A teach pendant is a portable control device used in industrial robotics.
• A cable pendant is one of a series of cables that is horizontally suspended across a flight deck of aircraft carriers for aircraft to land by catching with tailhook.
• A nautical pendant is a length of cable or rope, usually of a short length, that has eyes or fittings, or both, at the ends for attachment to vessels and bollards or buoys.
• A pendant is a common item used in hypnosis.

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