Impend Definition

ĭm-pĕnd

impends

verb

To be about to occur.

Her retirement is impending.

American Heritage

To hang or be suspended (over)

Webster's New World

To be about to happen; be imminent.

Webster's New World

To threaten.

Webster's New World

(intransitive) To be about to happen or occur, especially of something which takes some time such as a process or procedure rather than just a short event. "To impend" often has the connotation of threat.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Origin of Impend

Latin impendēre in- over in–² pendēre to hang (s)pen- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Latin impendere (“to hang over, to weigh out”).

From Wiktionary