pendentive

P3E1N1D2E1N1T1I1V4E1

noun

The concave triangular sections of vaulting that provide the transition between a dome and the square base on which it is set and transfer the weight of the dome.

OriginFrench pendentif →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounpendentive (plural pendentives)

plural pendentives

  1. architectureThe concave triangular sections of vaulting that provide the transition between a dome and the square base on which it is set and transfer the weight of the dome.

Origin

  1. Frenchpendentif
  2. Frenchpendentif
  3. Englishpendentive

Borrowed from French pendentif.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan petxina, copinya
  • petxinatriangular section of vaulting
  • copinyatriangular section of vaulting
Chinese Mandarin 帆拱
  • 帆拱triangular section of vaulting
French pendentif
  • pendentiftriangular section of vaulting
German Pendentif, Eckzwickel
  • Pendentiftriangular section of vaulting
  • Eckzwickeltriangular section of vaulting
Italian pennacchio
  • pennacchiotriangular section of vaulting
Korean 펜덴티브
  • 펜덴티브 (pendentibeu)triangular section of vaulting
Polish pendentyw
  • pendentywtriangular section of vaulting
Portuguese pendente
  • pendentetriangular section of vaulting
Spanish pechina
  • pechinatriangular section of vaulting
Welsh crognen
  • crognentriangular section of vaulting
Cite this entry
APA

pendentive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pendentive

MLA

“pendentive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pendentive. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pendentive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pendentive.

Source: pendentive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.