Lewis & Short

per-solvo, solvi, sŏlūtum, 3, v. a., to release or discharge completely; acc. to the signif. of the simple verb.

  1. I. To pay, pay out: stipendium militibus, Cic. Att. 5, 14, 1: pecuniam alicui, Tac. A. 1, 37: pecuniam ab aliquo, to pay by a draft on any one, Cic. Fl. 20, 46: aes alienum alienis nominibus suis copiis, to pay the debts of others, Cat. ap. Sall. C. 35, 3; Plin. Ep. 9, 37, 2: legatā cum fide, Suet. Calig. 16: veteranis promissa praemia, id. Aug. 15.
    1. B. Transf., in gen., to pay, give, show, render what is due to another: quod relicum restat, volo persolvere, Plaut. Cist. 1, 3, 40: alicui laborum praemia pro me, Cic. Planc. 42, 101: hanc tibi animam pro morte Daretis, Verg. A. 5, 484; 2, 537: grates, to render thanks, id. ib. 1, 600; cf.: meritam dis immortalibus gratiam, Cic. Planc. 33, 80: honorem dis, to pay due honor to the gods by sacrifices, Verg. A. 8, 62: vota, to fulfil, Tac. A. 3, 64; Cic. Har. Resp. 13, 28; Prop. 2, 25, 23: velim reliquum, quod est promissi ac muneris tui mihi persolvas, Cic. Fam. 3, 9, 3; id. Verr. 2, 5, 71, § 183: quod huic promisi, id ei persolvere, id. Planc. 42, 103: persolvere justa, to pay due honors to the dead, Sen. Oedip. 998; so Curt. 6, 6, 19: poenas, to suffer punishment: poenas dis hominibusque meritas debitasque persolvat, Cic. Phil. 11, 12, 29: mihi sanguine poenas Persolves, Verg. A. 9, 423.
      Without the dat.: ea (pars civitatis) princeps poenas persolvit, Caes. B. G. 1, 12, 6; cf.: supplicia persolvit, Tac. A. 6, 26 fin.
      On the contrary: poenae alicui ab omnibus persolutae, imparted, inflicted by all, Cic. Or 63, 214; so, mortem alicui, i. e. to kill, put to death, Suet. Calig. 26: persolvi primae epistulae, have answered, Cic. Att. 14, 20, 2: NATVRAE DEBITVM, to die, Inscr. Orell. 3453; so, DEBITVM, Inscr. Orell. 4482.
  2. * II. To unravel, solve, explain: si hoc mihi ζητημα persolveris, magnā me molestiā liberaris, Cic. Att. 7, 3, 10.