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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary pen·du·lum
\\-ləm\\ 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 pendulum
1660, from Mod.L. pendulum (1643), properly neut. of L. adj. pendulus "hanging down," from pendere "to hang" (see pendant). Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 pendulum
pen·du·lum / 5pendjElEm; NAmE -dVElEm / noun a long straight part with a weight at the end that moves regularly from side to side to control the movement of a clock
钟摆: (figurative)
In education, the pendulum has swung back to traditional teaching methods.
教育界又恢复了传统教学法。
the pendulum of public opinion
舆论的转变 Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged Search result show the entry is found in: kater's pendulum , or motor pendulum , or pendulum gun , or pendulum level , or pendulum press , or pendulum saw , or pendulum watch , or physical pendulum , or ballistic pendulum , or royal pendulum , or seconds pendulum , or ship pendulum , or simple pendulum , or torsion pendulum , or compensation pendulum , or compound pendulum , or cycloidal pendulum , or foucault pendulum , or gridiron pendulum , or gun pendulum , or horizontal pendulum
pen·du·lum
\-ləm\ noun
( -s) Usage: often attributiveEtymology: New Latin, from Latin, neuter of pendulus hanging, pendent 1.
a. : 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 the movements of clockwork and other machinery
b. : a suspended body that vibrates not by swinging but by rotating, with alternate twisting and untwisting (as the balance wheel of a watch) — called also torsion pendulum2. : something that alternates between opposites
< the pendulum of public opinion >3. : a technique used in mountain climbing to accomplish a difficult traverse by swinging across on a rope
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