Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Hanging down freely from a point of attachment: Describes something suspended so that it swings or sways.
   • Awaiting a decision; pending: Describes a matter that is undecided, unsettled, or in abeyance.

2. Noun:

   • A hanging ornament or piece of jewelry: An item, such as a jewel or locket, designed to hang from a chain worn around the neck or from an earring.
   • A hanging light fixture: A branched or single light that is suspended from a ceiling.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:

  • The pendent willow branches brushed the surface of the pond.
  • The court case remains pendent while new evidence is reviewed.

• Noun:

  • She wore a silver necklace with a crystal pendent.
  • A beautiful crystal pendent illuminated the dining room.

Advanced Usage

• In a legal context: Used to describe a lawsuit or legal action that is begun but not yet concluded by a final judgment.

  • The litigation is still pendent before the appellate court.

• In grammar (less common): Refers to an incomplete grammatical construction, often called a "pendent nominative" or "pendent participle," where a modifying phrase does not clearly connect to the subject of the main clause.

  • Walking to the store, the rain began to fall. (This is an example of a pendent or dangling participle, as "walking" doesn't logically modify "the rain").

Variants and Related Words

• Pendency (n): The state or condition of being pending or undecided.

  • The pendency of the application caused anxiety.

• Pending (adj/prep): Awaiting decision or settlement; until.

  • The project is pending approval. (Adjective)
  • We will wait pending further instructions. (Preposition)

• Pendant (n): This is the far more common spelling for the noun forms (ornament, light fixture). "Pendent" and "pendant" are often used interchangeably as nouns, though "pendant" is standard for the object.

Synonyms

• Adjective (hanging): Suspended, dangling, hanging, drooping.
• Adjective (undecided): Pending, undecided, unresolved, unsettled.
• Noun (ornament): Locket, charm, amulet, drop.
• Noun (light): Chandelier, drop light, suspended light.

Related Phrases

• Pendent jurisdiction: A legal doctrine allowing a federal court to hear a state law claim that is related to a federal claim already before the court.
  • The judge exercised pendent jurisdiction to resolve the entire dispute.

Related Idioms

• To hang pendent: A descriptive, rather than idiomatic, phrase emphasizing the state of hanging freely.
  • The icicles hang pendent from the roof's edge.

Adjective

1. held from above
   • a pendant bunch of grapes

Noun

1. branched lighting fixture; often ornate; hangs from the ceiling
2. an adornment that hangs from a piece of jewelry (necklace or earring)