a body mounted so that it can swing freely under the influence of gravity. It is either a bob hung on a light thread (simple pendulum) or a more complex structure (compound pendulum) such a device used to regulate a clockwork mechanism something that changes its position, attitude, etc fairly regularly: the pendulum of public opinion
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
pen•du•lum /ˈpɛndʒələm, ˈpɛndyə-, -də-/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Mechanicsa weight hanging from a fixed point so as to move back and forth by the action of gravity and momentum.
- something that may change from one position to another and back again:the pendulum of public opinion.
pen•du•lum
(pen′jə ləm, pen′də-),USA pronunciation n.
pen′du•lum•like′, adj.
- Mechanicsa body so suspended from a fixed point as to move to and fro by the action of gravity and acquired momentum.
- Time[Horol.]a swinging lever, weighted at the lower end, for regulating the speed of a clock mechanism.
- Neo-Latin, noun, nominal use of neuter of Latin pendulus pendulous
- 1650–60
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