pendant Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an adornment that hangs from a piece of jewelry (necklace or earring)
    pendent.
  2. noun branched lighting fixture; often ornate; hangs from the ceiling
    pendent; chandelier.
  3. adjective satellite held from above
    dependent; pendent.
    • a pendant bunch of grapes

WordNet

Pend"ant noun
Etymology
F., orig. p.pr. of pendre to hang, L. pendere. Cf. Pendent, Pansy, Pensive, Poise, Ponder.
Definitions
  1. Something which hangs or depends; something suspended; a hanging appendage, especially one of an ornamental character; as to a chandelier or an eardrop; also, an appendix or addition, as to a book.
    Some hang upon the pendants of her ear. Pope.
    Many . . . have been pleased with this work and its pendant, the Tales and Popular Fictions. Keightley.
  2. (Arch.) A hanging ornament on roofs, ceilings, etc., much used in the later styles of Gothic architecture, where it is of stone, and an important part of the construction. There are imitations in plaster and wood, which are mere decorative features. "[A bridge] with . . . pendants graven fair." Spenser.
  3. (Fine Arts) One of a pair; a counterpart; as, one vase is the pendant to the other vase.
  4. A pendulum. Obs. Sir K. Digby.
  5. The stem and ring of a watch, by which it is suspended. U.S. Knight.

Webster 1913