From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_252_apendulumpen‧du‧lum /ˈpendjələm $ -dʒə-/ noun [countable] 1 DHa long metal stick with a weight at the bottom that swings regularly from side to side to control the working of a clock2 → the pendulum
Examples from the Corpus
pendulum• A weight suspended on the end of a piece of string and then set in motion acts as a pendulum.• Others dislike pendulums, sticks or rods.• The cool movement, if it can be called that, swung the jazz pendulum quite a bit.• That frenzied period has passed and, if anything, the pendulum has swung in the other direction.• As we neared the center, we saw the pendulum clearly.• Thus the pendulum of public pressure swings back and forth, reflecting the unresolved tensions within public policy.• The pendulum has swung from silly dreaming to grinding pragmatism.Origin pendulum (1600-1700) Modern Latin Latin pendulus; → PENDULOUS 