pĕnĕs, prep. with acc. [from the root pa- of pasco, v. Penates], with, in the possession or power of; connected only with names of persons, and freq. foll. its case (class.).
I Chiefly to denote possession: virtus omnia in se habet; omnia assunt bona, quem penes est virtus, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 21; id. Capt. 2, 1, 37; cf. id. Truc. 5, 9: agri, quorum penes Cn. Pompeium omne judicium et potestas debet esse, Cic. Agr. 2, 19, 52; cf.: penes quem est potestas, id. Fam. 4, 7, 3: eloquentia non modo eos ornat, penes quos est, sed, etc., id. Or. 41, 142; id. Brut. 74, 258: quod penes eos summam victoriae constare intellegebant, Caes. B. G. 7, 21 fin. ; id. B. C. 1, 87: si volet usus, Quem penes arbitrium est et jus et norma loquendi, Hor. A. P. 72: me penes est unum vasti custodia mundi, Ov. F. 1, 119. —So, penes se esse, have control of one's self (ἐν ἑαυτῷ εἶναι): penes te es? Hor. S. 2, 3, 273 (for which: apud se esse, Ter. Heaut. 921).—
II Transf., with , in , in the presence or power of , in the house of , without the notion of possession: sine dote, cum ejus rem penes me habeam domi, Plaut. Trin. 3, 3, 5: thesaurum tuum Me esse penes, id. ib. 5, 2, 22; id. Truc. 1, 1, 4; id. Aul. 4, 4, 27: isthaec jam penes vos psaltria'st? Ter. Ad. 388: hi (servi) centum dies penes accusatorem cum fuissent, Cic. Mil. 22, 60; Caes. B. C. 1, 76, 4: si penes servum tabulae fuerint, Dig. 43, 5, 3: penes regem, noli velle videri sapiens, Vulg. Ecclus. 7, 5: mentis causa malae est penes te, Juv. 14, 226.—Rarely with an abstract object: plures ejus rei causas afferebat, potissimam penes incuriam virorum feminarumque, the principal ( cause ) consisted in the indifference , etc., Tac. A. 4, 16.