pendant
Americannoun
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a hanging ornament, as an earring or the main piece suspended from a necklace.
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an ornament suspended from a roof, vault, or ceiling.
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a hanging electrical lighting fixture; chandelier.
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that by which something is suspended, as the ringed stem of a watch.
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a match, parallel, companion, or counterpart.
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Nautical. Also a length of rope attached to a masthead, the end of a yardarm, etc., and having a block or thimble secured to its free end.
adjective
noun
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an ornament that hangs from a piece of jewellery
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a necklace with such an ornament
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a hanging light, esp a chandelier
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a carved ornament that is suspended from a ceiling or roof
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something that matches or complements something else
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Also called: pennant. nautical a length of wire or rope secured at one end to a mast or spar and having a block or other fitting at the lower end
adjective
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a variant spelling of pendent
Other Word Forms
- nonpendant adjective
- pendanted adjective
- pendantlike adjective
- unpendant adjective
Etymology
Origin of pendant
1300–50; Middle English pendaunt < Anglo-French; Middle French pendant, noun use of present participle of pendre to hang < Vulgar Latin *pendere for Latin pendēre. See pend, -ant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He’s wearing a gold-rope chain with the Universal logo as a pendant, and gold-rimmed sunglasses that are square and lightly tinted.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026
Pearls dangle at the ends of her pendant earrings, and three separate necklaces—studded, we think, with emeralds—draw the eye to her creamy neck.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
The pendant unites the Tudor rose with Katherine's pomegranate symbol, and features a banner that reads "tousiors", the old French for "always".
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026
The museum hopes to formally include the pendant in the collection later this year, and has plans for it to tour the UK in the future.
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026
A pendant around his throat flickered with light for a moment, and the Uncle smiled.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.