Main Entry: pen·dant

Variant(s): also pen·dent \ˈpen-dənt; 3 & 4 are also ˈpe-nənt, 5 is also päⁿ-ˈdäⁿ\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English pendaunt, from Anglo-French pendant, from present participle of pendre to hang, from Vulgar Latin *pendere, from Latin pendēre; 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