branched lighting fixture; often ornate; hangs from the ceiling
"The grand ballroom was illuminated by a magnificent crystal pendant that hung low from the ceiling, casting intricate patterns of light across the floor."
A supporting post attached to the main rafter.
"The carpenter installed a sturdy wooden pendant to support the heavy beam in the ceiling structure."
In plain English: A pendant is an ornament that hangs from something, such as jewelry dangling on a chain around your neck.
"She wore a silver locket with her name engraved on it as a pendant around her neck."
Usage: In construction, a pendant refers specifically to a short vertical timber that supports a ceiling joist from beneath a horizontal beam or rafter. Do not confuse this structural term with jewelry pendants, which are decorative ornaments hanging from chains.
The word entered English from Anglo-Norman and later Middle French as a noun derived from an existing adjective originally meaning "hanging." It traveled into our language to describe items that dangle or hang down by one side.