pendulum
pronunciation
How to pronounce pendulum in British English:
UK [ˈpendjələm]
How to pronounce pendulum in American English:
US [ˈpendʒələm]
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- Noun:
- an apparatus consisting of an object mounted so that it swings freely under the influence of gravity
Word Origin
- pendulum
- pendulum: [17] A pendulum is etymologically simply something that ‘hangs’. It is a noun use of the neuter form of the Latin adjective pendulus ‘hanging’ (source of English pendulous [18]). This was a derivative of the verb pendēre ‘hang’, which has contributed a wide range of words to English, among them penchant [17], pendant [14], pendent [15], pending [17], and penthouse, and derived forms such as append [15], appendix [16], depend, impend [16], perpendicular [14], and suspend.=> append, appendix, depend, impend, penchant, pendant, pendent, penthouse, perpendicular, suspend
- pendulum (n.)
- 1660, from Modern Latin pendulum (1643), noun use of neuter of Latin adjective pendulus "hanging down," from pendere "to hang" (see pendant). The Modern Latin word is perhaps a Latinization of Italian pendolo.
Example
- 1. Now , however , the pendulum is swinging back .
- 2. But expect latin america 's political pendulum to start swinging .
- 3. Maybe they give in , and the pendulum swings back into sweetness .
- 4. But taylor now believes that the pendulum has swung back towards discretion .
- 5. Lincoln was still swinging honoria back and forth like a pendulum from side to side .