Pendulation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The phenomenon of rhythmic movement consists of oscillating back and forth between two positions or points, embodying a regular pattern
2. The action of moving back and forth in a steady, repeated manner like a gentle swing
3. A process involving consistent, to-and-fro movement between two fixed points

Etymology: The core of this word is the Latin verb "pendere," meaning "to hang." A "pendulum" was originally just a hanging weight, and the same root gives English "pendant," "suspend," "depend," and "append," all of which share the idea of something hanging from a point. The Latin adjective "pendulus," meaning "hanging" or "swinging," produced the English noun "pendulum," and from it came the verb "pendulate," to swing like a pendulum. This noun adds the suffix "-ation," which turns a verb into a noun for an action or process, so it names the repeated back-and-forth motion itself rather than the object. In some modern therapeutic writing, particularly in the trauma-treatment approach Somatic Experiencing, the term refers to a patient's natural movement between states of distress and calm.