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 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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 29 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pendant
noun
pen·dant
variants
also pendent
: something that hangs down especially as an ornament
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share