pendo, pĕpendi, pensum, 3 (pendissent, for pependissent, Liv. 45, 26 fin.: penderit for pependerit, Paul. Nol. Carm. 14, 122), v. a. and n. [etym. dub.; cf. root σφαδ-, σφενδόνη, a sling; Lat. funda].—Lit., to cause to hang down, to suspend; esp. of scales in weighing.
I Act. , to weigh , weigh out.
A Lit. (very rare: syn. penso, expendo): unumquodque verbum staterā aurariā pendere, Varr. ap. Non. 455, 21: da pensam lanam, Titin. ap. Non. 369, 21; Plin. 19, 3, 15, § 39, read repensum: aere gravi cum uterentur Romani, penso eo, non numerato debitum solvebant, Fest. s. v. pendere, p. 208 Müll.: pensas examinat herbas, Ov. M. 14, 270.—
2 Transf., to pay , pay out (because, in the earliest times, payments were made by weighing out the metals; v. in the preced. the passage from Fest.; class.): militis stipendia ideo, quod eam stipem pendebant, Varr. L. L. 5, § 182 Müll.: Achaei ingentem pecuniam pendunt L. Pisoni quotannis, Cic. Prov. Cons. 3, 5; id. Att. 12, 25, 1: vectigal populo Romano, Caes. B. G. 5, 23: vectigal, Liv. 25, 8: tributum pro navibus, Tac. A. 13, 51: pretium, id. ib. 2, 87: coria boum in usus militares, id. ib. 4, 72: mercedem alicui, Juv. 3, 15.— Absol. : pro pabulo pendunt, pay , Plin. 12, 14, 32, § 65.— Impers. pass. : iterumque imperii nostri publicanis penditur, Plin. 12, 14, 32, § 65.—As punishments consisted of fines in money or cattle: pendere poenas, supplicia, etc., signified to pay , suffer , undergo a penalty : pendere poenas solvere significat, Fest. p. 268 Müll.: Syrus mihi tergo poenas pendet, Ter. Heaut. 728: maximas poenas pendo temeritatis meae, Cic. Att. 11, 8, 1: satis pro temeritate unius hominis suppliciorum pensum esse, Liv. 34, 61: capitis poenas, Ov. F. 3, 845: poenas violatae religionis sanguine et caedibus, Just. 8, 2, 4: magna supplicia perfidiae, id. 11, 4, 2: crimen, culpam, Val. Fl. 4, 477.—Rarely in this signif. absol. , to suffer any thing (poet.): tuis nam pendit in arvis Delius, Val. Fl. 1, 445.—
B Trop.
1 To weigh mentally, to ponder , consider , deliberate upon , decide (class.; syn.: pensito, trutinor): vos eam (rem) suo, non nominis pondere penditote, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 1, § 1: in philosophiā res spectatur, non verba penduntur, id. Or. 16, 51: causam ex veritate, id. Quint. 1, 5: rem levi conjecturā, id. Rosc. Am. 22, 62.—
b To value , esteem , regard a thing; with gen. of the value (mostly ante-class. and poet.): neque cum me magni pendere visum'st, Plaut. Curc. 2, 2, 12: aliquem, Ter. Ad. 879: quem tu vidisse beatus Non magni pendis, Hor. S. 2, 4, 93: nec jam religio divum neque numina magni Pendebantur, Lucr. 6, 1277: unice unum plurimi pendit, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 2, 29: te volturium vocant: Hostisne an civis comedis, parvi pendere, id. Trin. 1, 2, 64 sq.: nequam hominis ego parvi pendo gratiam, lightly esteem , id. Bacch. 3, 6, 29; so, parvi, Ter. And. 526; id. Heaut. 715; id. Hec. 513: minoris pendo tergum illorum, quam meum, care less for , Plaut. Most. 4, 1, 29: aliquem minoris, id. ib. 1, 3, 58: aliquem nihili, id. ib. 1, 3, 88: nihili, id. Men. 5, 7, 4; id. Trin. 3, 1, 6; Ter. Ad. 452; cf.: non flocci pendere, Ter. Eun. 411: sese experturum, quanti sese penderem, Plaut. Truc. 2, 4, 44: tu illum numquam ostendisti quanti penderes, Ter. Heaut. 155.—
2 (Acc. to A. 2.) To pay , render (poet.): dignas pendere grates, Stat. Th. 11, 223.—
II Neutr. , to weigh (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): tantundem pendere par est, Lucr. 1, 361: talentum ne minus pondo octoginta Romanis ponderibus pendat, Liv. 38, 38, 13; Plin. 9, 15, 17, § 44; id. 30, 48 fin. , § 93; id. 18, 7, 12, § 66; id. 31, 6, 31, § 58 (in Sen. Ep. 66, 30, read pendent).
IX —Hence, pensus , a, um, P. a., lit. weighed; hence, trop., esteemed , valued , prized , dear (as P. a. not in Cic. or Caes.): utra condicio pensior, Virginemne an viduam habere? Plaut. Stich. 1, 2, 61: ut nihil quicquam esset carius pensiusque nobis quam nosmetipsi, Taurus ap. Gell. 12, 5, 7.—Esp., as subst.: pensum , i, n., something weighed.
A Weight , consideration , scruple , importance , only in gen. sing. : nihil pensi habere aliquid, to lay no weight or stress upon a thing , to attach no value to , be indifferent to , care nothing about : sua parvi pendere, aliena cupere, ... nihil pensi neque moderati habere, Sall. C. 12, 2: nihil pensi neque sancti habere, id. J. 41, 9: neque id quibus modis assequeretur, quicquam pensi habebat, id. C. 5, 6: prorsus neque dicere, neque facere quicquam pensi habebat, id. ib. 23, 2: nihil pensi habuit, quin, etc., Suet. Dom. 12; id. Ner. 34: ut neque fas neque fidem pensi haberet, Tac. A. 13, 15: aliquid ratum pensumque habere, Att. Capitol. ap. Gell. 13, 12, 2. —So, non pensi ducere (very rare), Val. Max. 2, 9, 3.—Also, non adest or est alicui pensi: nec mihi adest tantillum pensi jam, quos capiam calceos, I don't care in the least , am perfectly indifferent , Plaut. Truc. 4, 2, 52: sed illis nec quid dicerent, nec quid facerent, quicquam umquam pensi fuisse, they never cared at all , Liv. 34, 49: quibus si quicquam pensi umquam fuisset, non ea consilia de republicā habuissent, if they had ever had regard for any considerations , Sall. C. 52, 34. —
B Prop., the wool weighed out to a slave to spin in a day; hence, a day's work in spinning , and, in gen., spinning , a spinner's task.
1 Lit. (mostly ante-class. and poet.): pensum facere, Plaut. Merc. 2, 3, 63; id. Men. 5, 2, 45: nocturna carpentes pensa puellae, Verg. G. 1, 391: carmine quo captae dum fusis mollia pensa Devolvunt, etc., id. ib. 4, 348: famulasque ad lumina longo Exercet penso, id. A. 8, 412; Prop. 3, 15, (4, 14), 15: castrensia, i. e. for military garments , id. 4 (5), 3, 33: pensa manu ducunt, Juv. 12, 65: lanificam revocas ad sua pensa manum, Ov. Am. 1, 13, 24; id. H. 3, 75; Just. 1, 3, 2.—Poet., a thread spun by the Fates: durae peragunt pensa sorores, Sen. Herc. Fur. 181: jamque in fine dies et inexorabile pensum Deficit, Stat. S. 3, 3, 172: mortale resolvere, to unbind his mortal thread , i. e. to make him immortal , Calp. Ecl. 4, 137.—
2 Trop., a charge , duty , office (so in Cic.; cf.: ministerium, munus, officium): pensum meum lepide accurabo, Plaut. Bacch. 5, 2, 33; cf.: meum confeci, id. Pers. 2, 4, 1: absolvere, to perform one's duty , Varr. R. R. 2, 2: me ad meum munus pensumque revocabo, Cic. de Or. 3, 30, 119; id. Verr. 2, 3, 46, § 109: nominis familiaeque, Liv. 4, 52: operis sui peragere, Col. 3, 10, 7.—Hence, adv.: pensē , carefully , considerately (post-class.): pensius, Flav. ap. Symm. Ep. 2, 34.