pendant

1 of 2

noun

pen·​dant ˈpen-dənt 

senses 3 & 4 are also

ˈpe-nənt 

sense 5 is also

päⁿ-ˈdäⁿ 

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.

pendant

2 of 2

adjective

pen·​dant

variant spelling of pendent

1

: jutting or leaning over : overhanging

a pendent cliff

2

: supported from above : suspended

icicles pendent from the eaves

3

: remaining undetermined : pending

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.

Synonyms of pendant

Noun

• charm
• bangle

Examples of pendant in a Sentence

Noun

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

Noun

Stana wore a white T-shirt with a cross pendant that matched a tattoo under his left ear. — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026

Larger pendants usually look best on your longest chain, think of those as the anchor for your stack. — Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

The table is custom by Moir Wade, the pendant is from Pottery Barn, and the window treatment is made with a Designers Guild fabric. — Laura Regensdorf, Architectural Digest, 20 Aug. 2026

Apple has also worked on a neck- or shirt-worn pendant with a camera as part of its AI wearables strategy. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pendaunt "hanging edge of a belt or garter," borrowed from Anglo-French, noun derivative of pendant, pendaunt "hanging (up or down), dangling" — more at pendent entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pendant

• pendent
• tendent
• appendant
• ascendant
• attendant
• defendant
• dependant
• dependent
• descendant
• descendent
• intendant
• resplendent

Kids Definition

pendant

noun

pen·​dant

variants also pendent

ˈpen-dənt 

: something that hangs down especially as an ornament