Nov 14 2019 28
Impend is a verb that means to be about to happen.
It may surprise you to learn that our word of the day is a close relative of the word pendant. Both words came from the Latin word pendere (PEN dare ay) which means ‘to hang.’ The best way to sort this confusion out is to consider that a pendant hangs from a chain that hangs around a neck, while something that impends hangs metaphorically over your head in a threatening way.
I get more and more stressed out as the deadline approaches. Feeling it impend that way makes me nervous.
