Main Entry:

pen·du·lum

Pronunciation:

\-ləm\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

New Latin, from Latin, neuter of pendulus

Date:

1660

1 : a body suspended from a fixed point so as to swing freely to and fro under the action of gravity and commonly used to regulate movements (as of clockwork) 2 : something (as a state of affairs) that alternates between opposites