noun
pendulum
PEN-juh-lum/ˈpendʒələm/
A suspended weight that swings freely back and forth.
The clock's pendulum swings steadily behind the glass door.
Etymology
Latin pendulus means “hanging down.” The name identifies the suspended weight by how it hangs; its freedom to swing makes it a pendulum in the mechanical sense.
In context
the rate at which the pendulum swings back and forth is determined by only a few things.
More examples
- We make a simple pendulum with string and a metal washer.
- She releases the pendulum and counts ten complete swings.
- The museum's giant pendulum demonstrates Earth's rotation.
Forms
pendulum · pendulums · pendula
pendular adjective — Relating to a pendulum or its motion.
Similar words
- bob
- Names the weight itself, not the entire swinging assembly.
- oscillator
- Includes other things that move repeatedly, not just suspended weights.