Etymograph

English

pendulum

Pendulum comes from Latin pendulus ‘hanging’, from pendeō ‘to hang’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pn̥d-éh₁ye-ti.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pn̥d-éh₁ye-tisreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pendēō‘to hang, to be hanging’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpendeō‘to hang’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpendulus‘hanging’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2021pendulum

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pn̥d-éh₁ye-tisreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pendēō‘to hang, to be hanging’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpendeō‘to hang’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpendulus‘hanging’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2021pendulum

Earliest quotation: 2021, Industry Insider, The wheels turn slowly: “The pendulum can be seen to be swinging in…”

Linked words

through Latin pendeō ‘to hang’

depend, 4 more

Today it means

noun A body suspended from a fixed support so that it swings freely back and forth under the influence of gravity, commonly used to regulate various devices such as clocks.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)pn̥d-éh₁ye-ti / pendulum

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