Adjacent Words

Pendulum definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PEND'ULUM, n. [L. pendulus, pendulum.] A vibrating body suspended from a fixed point; as the pendulum of a clock. The oscillations of a pendulum depend on gravity, and are always performed in nearly equal times, supposing the length of the pendulum and the gravity to remain the same.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an apparatus consisting of an object mounted so that it swings freely under the influence of gravity

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, neuter of pendulus Date: 1660 1. a body suspended from a fixed point so as to swing freely to and fro under the action of gravity and commonly used to regulate movements (as of clockwork) 2. something (as a state of affairs) that alternates between opposites

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. a weight suspended so as to swing freely, esp. a rod with a weighted end regulating the movement of a clock's works. Phrases and idioms: swing of the pendulum the tendency of public opinion to oscillate between extremes, esp. between political parties. Etymology: L neut. adj. (as PENDULOUS)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pendulum Pen"du*lum, n.; pl. Pendulums. [NL., fr. L. pendulus hanging, swinging. See Pendulous.] A body so suspended from a fixed point as to swing freely to and fro by the alternate action of gravity and momentum. It is used to regulate the movements of clockwork and other machinery. Note: The time of oscillation of a pendulum is independent of the arc of vibration, provided this arc be small. Ballistic pendulum. See under Ballistic. Compensation pendulum, a clock pendulum in which the effect of changes of temperature of the length of the rod is so counteracted, usually by the opposite expansion of differene metals, that the distance of the center of oscillation from the center of suspension remains invariable; as, the mercurial compensation pendulum, in which the expansion of the rod is compensated by the opposite expansion of mercury in a jar constituting the bob; the gridiron pendulum, in which compensation is effected by the opposite expansion of sets of rodsof different metals. Compound pendulum, an ordinary pendulum; -- so called, as being made up of different parts, and contrasted with simple pendulum. Conical or Revolving, pendulum, a weight connected by a rod with a fixed point; and revolving in a horizontal cyrcle about the vertical from that point. Pendulum bob, the weight at the lower end of a pendulum. Pendulum level, a plumb level. See under Level. Pendulum wheel, the balance of a watch. Simple or Theoretical, pendulum, an imaginary pendulum having no dimensions except length, and no weight except at the center of oscillation; in other words, a material point suspended by an ideal line.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pendulum Pen"du*lum, n.; pl. Pendulums. [NL., fr. L. pendulus hanging, swinging. See Pendulous.] A body so suspended from a fixed point as to swing freely to and fro by the alternate action of gravity and momentum. It is used to regulate the movements of clockwork and other machinery. Note: The time of oscillation of a pendulum is independent of the arc of vibration, provided this arc be small. Ballistic pendulum. See under Ballistic. Compensation pendulum, a clock pendulum in which the effect of changes of temperature of the length of the rod is so counteracted, usually by the opposite expansion of differene metals, that the distance of the center of oscillation from the center of suspension remains invariable; as, the mercurial compensation pendulum, in which the expansion of the rod is compensated by the opposite expansion of mercury in a jar constituting the bob; the gridiron pendulum, in which compensation is effected by the opposite expansion of sets of rodsof different metals. Compound pendulum, an ordinary pendulum; -- so called, as being made up of different parts, and contrasted with simple pendulum. Conical or Revolving, pendulum, a weight connected by a rod with a fixed point; and revolving in a horizontal cyrcle about the vertical from that point. Pendulum bob, the weight at the lower end of a pendulum. Pendulum level, a plumb level. See under Level. Pendulum wheel, the balance of a watch. Simple or Theoretical, pendulum, an imaginary pendulum having no dimensions except length, and no weight except at the center of oscillation; in other words, a material point suspended by an ideal line.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pendulum Pen"du*lum, n.; pl. Pendulums. [NL., fr. L. pendulus hanging, swinging. See Pendulous.] A body so suspended from a fixed point as to swing freely to and fro by the alternate action of gravity and momentum. It is used to regulate the movements of clockwork and other machinery. Note: The time of oscillation of a pendulum is independent of the arc of vibration, provided this arc be small. Ballistic pendulum. See under Ballistic. Compensation pendulum, a clock pendulum in which the effect of changes of temperature of the length of the rod is so counteracted, usually by the opposite expansion of differene metals, that the distance of the center of oscillation from the center of suspension remains invariable; as, the mercurial compensation pendulum, in which the expansion of the rod is compensated by the opposite expansion of mercury in a jar constituting the bob; the gridiron pendulum, in which compensation is effected by the opposite expansion of sets of rodsof different metals. Compound pendulum, an ordinary pendulum; -- so called, as being made up of different parts, and contrasted with simple pendulum. Conical or Revolving, pendulum, a weight connected by a rod with a fixed point; and revolving in a horizontal cyrcle about the vertical from that point. Pendulum bob, the weight at the lower end of a pendulum. Pendulum level, a plumb level. See under Level. Pendulum wheel, the balance of a watch. Simple or Theoretical, pendulum, an imaginary pendulum having no dimensions except length, and no weight except at the center of oscillation; in other words, a material point suspended by an ideal line.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hydrometer Hy*drom"e*ter, n. [Hydro-, 1 + -meter: cf. F. hydrom[`e]tre.] 1. (Physics) An instrument for determining the specific gravities of liquids, and thence the strength spirituous liquors, saline solutions, etc. Note: It is usually made of glass with a graduated stem, and indicates the specific gravity of a liquid by the depth to which it sinks in it, the zero of the scale marking the depth to which it sinks in pure water. Extra weights are sometimes used to adapt the scale to liquids of different densities. 2. An instrument, variously constructed, used for measuring the velocity or discharge of water, as in rivers, from reservoirs, etc., and called by various specific names according to its construction or use, as tachometer, rheometer, hydrometer, pendulum, etc.; a current gauge.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pendulums) 1. The pendulum of a clock is a rod with a weight at the end which swings from side to side in order to make the clock work. N-COUNT 2. You can use the idea of a pendulum and the way it swings regularly as a way of talking about regular changes in a situation or in people's opinions. The political pendulum has swung in favour of the liberals. N-SING: usu the N

Moby Thesaurus

Indian file, array, articulation, bank, buzz, catena, catenation, chain, chain reaction, chaining, concatenation, connection, consecution, continuum, course, cycle, descent, drone, endless belt, endless round, file, filiation, gamut, gradation, hum, line, lineage, metronome, monotone, nexus, oscillator, periodicity, plenum, powder train, progression, queue, range, rank, recurrence, reticulation, rocker, rocking chair, rocking stone, rotation, round, routine, row, run, scale, seesaw, sequence, series, shuttle, shuttlecock, single file, spectrum, string, succession, swath, swing, teeter, teeter-totter, teeterboard, teetery-bender, thread, tier, train, vibrator, windrow