pendant (n.)

early 14c., pendaunt, "loose, hanging part of anything," whether ornamental or useful, from Anglo-French pendaunt (c. 1300), Old French pendant (13c.), noun uses of the present-participle adjective from pendre "to hang," from Latin pendere "to hang," from PIE *(s)pend-, extended form of root *(s)pen- "to draw, stretch, spin." Meaning "dangling part of an earring" is attested from 1550s. Nautical sense of "long tapering flag" is recorded from late 15c. "In this sense presumably a corruption of pennon" [OED]. In 14c.-16c. also "the testicles." As an adjective, the same as pendent, which is now the usual spelling.

also from early 14c.

Entries linking to pendant

pendent (adj.)

"hanging, suspended," c. 1600 respelling of Middle English pendaunt "hanging, hanging down, overhanging" (late 14c., from Old French pendant "hanging;" see pendant) on the model of its Latin original, pendentem. Related: Pendently.

pennant (n.)

1610s, "a rope for hoisting," probably a blend or confusion of pendant in the nautical sense of "suspended rope" and pennon "long, narrow flag." Use for "flag on a warship" is by 1690s; as "flag long in the fly as compared with its hoist," 1815. The meaning "flag symbolizing a sports championship" (especially baseball) is from 1880; as a synonym for "championship" it is attested by 1915.

*(s)pen-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to draw, stretch, spin."

It forms all or part of: append; appendix; avoirdupois; compendium; compensate; compensation; counterpoise; depend; dispense; equipoise; expend; expense; expensive; hydroponics; impend; painter (n.2) "rope or chain that holds an anchor to a ship's side;" pansy; penchant; pend; pendant; pendentive; pending; pendular; pendulous; pendulum; pension; pensive; penthouse; perpendicular; peso; poise; ponder; ponderous; pound (n.1) "measure of weight;" prepend; prepense; preponderate; propensity; recompense; span (n.1) "distance between two objects;" span (n.2) "two animals driven together;" spangle; spanner; spend; spider; spin; spindle; spinner; spinster; stipend; suspend; suspension.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Latin pendere "to hang, to cause to hang," pondus "weight" (perhaps the notion is the weight of a thing measured by how much it stretches a cord), pensare "to weigh, consider;" Greek ponos "toil," ponein "to toil;" Lithuanian spendžiu, spęsti "lay a snare;" Old Church Slavonic peti "stretch, strain," pato "fetter," pina "I span;" Old English spinnan "to spin," spannan "to join, fasten; stretch, span;" Armenian henum "I weave;" Greek patos "garment," literally "that which is spun;" Lithuanian pinu "I plait, braid," spandau "I spin;" Middle Welsh cy-ffiniden "spider;" Old English spinnan "draw out and twist fibers into thread," spiðra "spider," literally "spinner."

Trends of pendant

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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chandelier

"branched cluster of lights suspended from a ceiling," 1736, from Middle English chaundeler "candlestick" (late 14c.), from Old French chandelier (n.1), 12c., earlier chandelabre "candlestick, candelabrum" (10c.), from Latin candelabrum, from candela "candle" (see candle). Origin

dependent

also dependant, late 14c., "relying for existence on;" early 15c. as "contingent, related to some condition;" from Old French dependant, present-participle adjective from dependre "to hang down," from Latin dependere "to hang from, hang down; be dependent on, be derived," from de

dag

"pendant point of cloth on a garment," late 14c., of uncertain origin; 2....

pending

1640s, "during, in the process of, for the time of the continuance of," a preposition formed on the model of French pendant...

append

The meaning "to hang on, attach as a pendant" is by 1640s; that of "attach as an appendix" is recorded by 1843....

ear-ring

Now including any sort of ornament in the ear; the pendant sort originally were ear-drops (1720)....

sleeve

expression have something up (or in) one's sleeve, "have ready as occasion demands," is recorded from c. 1500 (the long, pendant...

pennon

"long, narrow flag" (often triangular or swallow-tailed, attached to a lance and having distinguishing markings), late 14c., penoun, from Old French penon "feathers of an arrow; streamer, flag, banner," from penne "feather," from Latin penna "feather" (from PIE root *pet- "to rus

prejudice

c. 1300, "despite, contempt," from Old French prejudice "a prejudice, prejudgment; damage" (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin prejudicium "injustice," from Latin praeiudicium "prior judgment, judicial examination before trial; damage, harm," from prae- "before" (see pre-) +

indigenous

"born or originating in a particular place," 1640s, from Late Latin indigenus "born in a country, native," from Latin indigena "sprung from the land, native," as a noun, "a native," literally "in-born," or "born in (a place)," from Old Latin indu (prep.) "in, within" + gignere (p

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updated on March 20, 2020

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Dictionary entries near pendant

Penates

pence

penchant

pencil

pend

pendant

pendency

pendent

pendentive

pending

pendragon