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Definition of pending - 7 dictionary results

pend⋅ing

  [pen-ding]
Use pending in a Sentence
–preposition
1. while awaiting; until: pending his return.
2. in the period before the decision or conclusion of; during: pending the negotiations.
–adjective
3. remaining undecided; awaiting decision or settlement; unfinished: pending business; pending questions; pending litigation.
4. about to take place; impending.
Origin:
1635–45; pend + -ing 2 , on the model of F pendant (see pendent )

pend

  [pend]
–verb (used without object)
1. to remain undecided or unsettled.
2. to hang.
3. Obsolete. to depend.
Origin:
1490–1500; ≪ L pendēre to be suspended, hang, depend
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pend·ing   (pěn'dĭng)   
adj.  

  1. Not yet decided or settled; awaiting conclusion or confirmation.

  2. Impending; imminent.

prep.  

  1. While in the process of; during.

  2. While awaiting; until.


[French pendant, pendant, pending (from Old French; see pendant1) + -ing1.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pending 
1642, "during, in the process of," prep. formed from root of Fr. pendant "during," lit. "hanging," prp. of pendere "to hang, to suspend" (see pendant). Meaning patterned on a secondary sense of L. pendente "not decided," lit. "hanging," in legal phrase pendente lite "while the suit is pending." Use of the prp. before nouns caused it to be regarded as a preposition.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: pend
Pronunciation: 'pend
Function: intransitive verb
: to be pending pends as to the third party>

Main Entry: pend·ing
Pronunciation: 'pen-di[ng]
Function: preposition
1 : during the time of
2 : while awaiting : in the time preceding pending the outcome of the suit> pending trial>

Main Entry: pending
Function: adjective
1 : not yet decided pending suit>
2 : to occur or be realized soon
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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