a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Example Sentences

Medium term, the market's pendulum will swing from this extreme to the opposite.

After nearly a century stuck on the side of the body, the pendulum has recently cut a wide arc toward the mind.

In one sense, it is a simple case of the pendulum swinging back.

EXPAND

Collins

World English Dictionary

pendulum (ˈpɛndjʊləm)

—n
1.	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)
2.	such a device used to regulate a clockwork mechanism
3.	something that changes its position, attitude, etc fairly regularly: the pendulum of public opinion

[C17: from Latin penduluspendulous]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

pendulum

1660, from Mod.L. pendulum (1643), properly neut. of L. adj. pendulus "hanging down," from pendere "to hang" (see pendant).

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

pendulum

(pěn'jə-ləm) Pronunciation Key
A mass hung from a fixed support so that it is able to swing freely under the influence of gravity. Since the motion of pendulums is regular and periodic, they are often used to regulate the action of various devices, especially clocks.

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help