n.
Variant: also pen · dent
Pronunciation: ' pen-d ə nt; 3 & 4 are also ' pe-n ə nt, 5 is also pä n - ' dä n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English pendaunt, from Anglo-French pendant, from present participle of pendre to hang, from Vulgar Latin *pendere, from Latin pend ē re; akin to Latin pendere to weigh, estimate, pay, pondus weight
Date: 14th century
1 : something suspended: as a : an ornament (as on a necklace) allowed to hang free b : an electrical fixture suspended from the ceiling
2 : a hanging ornament of roofs or ceilings much used in the later styles of Gothic architecture
3 : a length of line usually used as a connector on a boat or ship especially : a short rope hanging from a spar and having at its free end a block or spliced thimble
4 chiefly British : PENNANT 1A
5 a : COMPANION PIECE b : something secondary or supplementary