pendulum

noun

/ˈpen.djʊ.ləm/

/-dʒə.ləm/

Definition

› [C] a device consisting of a weight on a stick or thread that moves from one side to the other, especially one that forms a part of some types of clocks: The pendulum in the grandfather clock swung back and forth. The spaceship's jets were fired periodically to dampen a side-to-side pendulum motion that had developed.Watches and clocks › [S] a change, especially from one opinion to an opposite one: As so often in education, the pendulum has swung back to the other extreme and testing is popular again.Changing your mind

(Definition of pendulum noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)