variants
or less commonly pendent
1
: something suspended: such as
a
: an ornament (as on a necklace) allowed to hang free
A turquoise pendant hung on her necklace.
b
: an electrical fixture suspended from the ceiling
hung an incandescent light pendant from the ceiling over the reading area
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 (see thimble sense 2a)
4
chiefly British
: pennant sense 1a
5
a
: companion piece
The portrait of his father is a pendant to the one of his mother.
b
: something secondary or supplementary
The illustration is an apt pendant to the poem.
Did you know?
Most pendants are purely decorative. But a pendant may also hold a picture or a lock of hair of a lover or a child. And, perhaps because they hang protectively in front of the body and near the heart, pendants have often had symbolic and magical purposes. Thus, a pendant may be a charm or amulet, or its gems or metals may be felt to have health-giving properties. In architecture, a pendant is an ornament that hangs down from a structure, but unlike a necklace pendant it's usually solid and inflexible.
Examples of pendant in a Sentence
Navajo necklaces with pendants finely crafted in genuine sky-blue turquoise.
a pendant that once flew on Nelson's flagship
Recent Examples on the Web
At the glitzy 2024 LACMA Art + Film Gala in Los Angeles last night, the reality TV star stepped out sporting a plunging, form-fitting white Gucci gown and the Attallah cross pendant that was famously worn by the late royal, CNN reported.
—
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024
Above hangs the Plateau pendant by Giancarlo Valle.
—Katherine Burns Olson, Architectural Digest, 4 Nov. 2024
Princess Diana famously wore the pendant at the 1987 Birthright charity gala, pairing it elegantly with a purple velvet Catherine Walker gown.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 3 Nov. 2024
The pendant went under the hammer during the Royal and Noble collection sale and fetched a whopping £163,800 (about $200,000), which was more than double its pre-auction estimate.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pendant 
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Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024
Above hangs the Plateau pendant by Giancarlo Valle.
—Katherine Burns Olson, Architectural Digest, 4 Nov. 2024
Princess Diana famously wore the pendant at the 1987 Birthright charity gala, pairing it elegantly with a purple velvet Catherine Walker gown.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 3 Nov. 2024
The pendant went under the hammer during the Royal and Noble collection sale and fetched a whopping £163,800 (about $200,000), which was more than double its pre-auction estimate.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pendant
Dictionary Entries Near pendant
Cite this Entry
“Pendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pendant. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pendant
noun
pen·dant
variants
also pendent
: something that hangs down especially as an ornament
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