Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
PENDANT
pendent, pendant, dependent
(adjective) held from above and hanging down; “a pendant bunch of grapes”
chandelier, pendant, pendent
(noun) branched lighting fixture; often ornate; hangs from the ceiling
pendant, pendent
(noun) an adornment that hangs from a piece of jewelry (necklace or earring)
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
pendant (plural pendants)
(architecture) A supporting post attached to the main rafter. [from 14th c.]
A piece of jewellery which hangs down as an ornament, especially worn on a chain around the neck. [from 15th c.]
The dangling part of an earring. [from 16th c.]
(nautical) A short rope hanging down, used to attach hooks for tackles; a pennant. [from 15th c.]
(fine arts) One of a pair; a counterpart.
(obsolete) An appendix or addition, as to a book.
(obsolete, in the plural) Testicles. [15th-17th c.]
(obsolete) A pendulum.
(US) The stem and ring of a watch, by which it is suspended.
A lamp hanging from the roof.
An ornament of wood or of stone hanging downwards from a roof.
A long narrow flag at the head of the principal mast in a royal ship.
Source: Wiktionary
Pend"ant, n. Etym: [F., orig. p.pr. of pendre to hang, L. pendere. Cf. Pendent, Pansy, Pensive, Poise, Ponder.]
1. Something which hangs or depends; something suspended; a hanging appendage, especially one of an ornamental character; as to a chandelier or an eardrop; also, an appendix or addition, as to a book. Some hang upon the pendants of her ear. Pope. Many . . . have been pleased with this work and its pendant, the Tales and Popular Fictions. Keightley.
2. (Arch.)
Definition: A hanging ornament on roofs, ceilings, etc., much used in the later styles of Gothic architecture, where it is of stone, and an important part of the construction. There are imitations in plaster and wood, which are mere decorative features. "[A bridge] with . . . pendants graven fair." Spenser.
3. (Fine Arts)
Definition: One of a pair; a counterpart; as, one vase is the pendant to the other vase.
4. A pendulum. [Obs.] Sir K. Digby.
5. The stem and ring of a watch, by which it is suspended. [U.S.] Knight. Pendant post (Arch.), a part of the framing of an open timber roof; a post set close against the wall, and resting upon a corbel or other solid support, and supporting the ends of a collar beam or any part of the roof.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
15 March 2025
TRUNCATION
(noun) the replacement of an edge or solid angle (as in cutting a gemstone) by a plane (especially by a plane that is equally inclined to the adjacent faces)
Coffee Trivia
