pendulus

Pendulus is a term derived from the Latin pendulus, meaning hanging or suspended. In English, pendulus is the Latin root used to form adjectives describing hanging or drooping forms; the adjective pendulous is more common in modern usage, but pendulus appears in scholarly Latin or in taxonomic contexts as part of an epithet.

In botany, pendulous describes plant parts that hang downward from their attachment, such as pendulous leaves, inflorescences, or fruits. This habit can affect a plant’s architecture, pollination strategy, and dispersal, and is frequently noted in species descriptions and dichotomous keys.

In zoology and anatomy, pendulous denotes structures that hang freely from a point of attachment. Examples include pendulous lobes or folds, and trophic or sensory appendages described in anatomical or veterinary texts.

In physics and engineering, objects may be described as pendulous when they hang from a pivot, yielding a pendulum-like motion. The term emphasizes gravity-driven, downward hanging behavior rather than oscillation characteristics alone.

Etymology and usage notes: pendulus comes from Latin pendere “to hang.” The related forms pendula and pendulum derive from the same root. In taxonomic or descriptive writing, pendulus can appear as part of a species epithet or descriptive phrase.

See also: pendulum, pendulous.