Meaning

noun an adornment that hangs from a piece of jewelry (necklace or earring)

noun branched lighting fixture; often ornate; hangs from the ceiling

adjective held from above

originFrom Middle English pendaunt, Anglo-Norman pendaunt, pendant, respelled to reflect Latin pendēns, pendentis, present participle of pendere (“to hang, to be suspended”). Compare pendant, which retained the spelling.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0