Pending

Part of speech: adjective, preposition

Pronunciation: /ˈpɛndɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Awaiting a conclusion or decision to be made
2. Not yet decided or settled, waiting for final confirmation or outcome
3. In a state of waiting for resolution or approval before proceeding

Etymology: The sense "awaiting a decision" is the newer layer here, while the word's core idea is literally "hanging." "Pending" is the present participle of "pend," which was borrowed from Middle French "pendre," meaning "to hang," itself from Latin "pendēre." Its earliest sense was physical: something suspended or dangling, the same image that gives us "pendant" and "pendulum." Over time that picture of something hanging in the air shifted into one of a matter left hanging, unresolved and waiting for a verdict, which is how the word is used today for a case, an application or a payment still awaiting settlement. The verb "pend" is the more unusual piece. It is a back-formation: English speakers first used the participle "pending" in its sense of "hanging" and "undecided," then treated it as though it were a verb stem and derived "pend" from it. So the verb owes its existence to the adjective, not the other way around, even though the Latin root sits behind both.

Synonyms: awaiting, unresolved, forthcoming

Antonyms: resolved, settled, completed