[pen.dant] also pen.dent n [ME pendaunt, fr. MF pendant, fr. prp. of pendre to hang, fr. (assumed) VL pendere, fr. L pendere; akin to L pendere to weigh, estimate, pay, pondus weight] (14c) 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 usu. used as a connector on a boat or ship; esp: a short rope hanging from a spar and having at its free end a block or spliced thimble
4. chiefly Brit: pennant 1a
5. a: companion piece b: something secondary or supplementary