Lewis & Short

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.

  1. I. Act., to weigh, weigh out.
    1. 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.
      1. 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. 4, 4, 6: 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.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 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.
        1. 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. 5, 4, 25: 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. 3, 2, 46; id. Heaut. 4, 3, 37; id. Hec. 3, 5, 63: 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. 3, 4, 6; cf.: non flocci pendere, Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 21: sese experturum, quanti sese penderem, Plaut. Truc. 2, 4, 44: tu illum numquam ostendisti quanti penderes, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 103.
      2. 2. (Acc. to A. 2.) To pay, render (poet.): dignas pendere grates, Stat. Th. 11, 223.
  2. 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).
    Hence, pensus, a, um, P. a., lit. weighed; hence, trop., esteemed, valued, prized, dear (as P. a. not in Cic. or Cæs.): 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.
    1. 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.
    2. 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. 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. 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.