to hang by a thread

pendĕo, pĕpendi, 2, v. n. [ intr. of pendo, q. v.], to hang, hang down, be suspended.

Lit., constr. with ab, ex, or in and abl.; also ( poet.), with abl. alone, or with de: pendent peniculamenta, Enn. ap. Non. 149, 32 (Ann. v. 363 Vahl.): in candelabro pendet strigilis, Varr. ap. Non. 223, 7:

in arbore,

Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 23, § 57:

sagittae pende, bant ab umero,

id. ib. 2, 4, 34, §

74: ex arbore,

id. ib. 2, 3, 26, §

66: ubera circum (pueri),

Verg. A. 8, 632:

horrida pendebant molles super ora capilli,

Ov. P. 3, 3, 17:

capiti patiar sacros pendere corymbos,

Prop. 2, 23, 35 (3, 28, 39):

telum... summo clipei nequiquam umbone pependit,

Verg. A. 2, 544:

deque viri collo dulce pependit onus,

Ov. F. 2, 760.—Of garments:

chlamydemque ut pendeat apte, Collocat,

Ov. M. 2, 733:

tigridis exuviae per dorsum a vertice pendent,

Verg. A. 11, 577.—Of slaves, who were strung up to be flogged, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 27:

quando pendes per pedes,

id. ib. 2, 2, 35:

ibi pendentem ferit,

id. Trin. 2, 1, 19; id. Truc. 4, 3, 3; cf. id. Men. 5, 5, 48: quid me fiet nunciam? Theo. Verberibus caedere pendens, id. Most. 5, 2, 45:

ego plectar pendens, nisi, etc.,

Ter. Phorm. 1, 4, 43; id. Eun. 5, 6, 20.— Poet., of suspended votive offerings:

omnibus heu portis pendent mea noxia vota,

Prop. 4 (5), 3, 17; Tib. 1, 1, 16 (24):

pendebatque vagi pastoris in arbore votum,

id. 2, 5, 29:

pendebit fistula pinu,

Verg. E. 7, 24:

multaque praeterea sacris in postibus arma, Captivi pendent currus, etc.,

id. A. 7, 184.—Of one who hangs himself, Mart. 8, 61, 2:

e trabe sublimi triste pependit onus,

Ov. R. Am. 18:

pendentem volo Zoilum videre,

Mart. 4, 77, 5.—Of any thing hung up for public notice;

of the names of persons accused,

Suet. Dom. 9, Plin. Ep. 4, 9, 1;

of goods hung up, exposed for sale,

Phaedr. 3, 4, 1;

transf., of a debtor whose goods are exposed for sale,

Suet. Claud. 9 fin. —Prov.: pendere filo or tenui filo, to hang by a thread, i. e. to be in great danger: hac noctu filo pendebit Etruria tota, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 1, 4 (Ann. v. 153 Vahl.):

omnia sunt hominum tenui pendentia filo,

Ov. P. 4, 3, 35; Val. Max. 6, 4, 1.—

Transf. (mostly poet.; cf. immineo).

To hang in the air, be suspended, to float, hover, overhang: per speluncas saxis structas asperis, pendentibus, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 16, 37 (Trag. Rel. p. 245 Rib.);

imitated,

Lucr. 6, 195:

hinc scopulus raucis pendet adesus aquis,

Ov. H. 10, 26:

dum siccā tellure licet, dum nubila pendent,

Verg. G. 1, 214:

hi summo in fluctu pendent,

id. A. 1, 106:

illisaque prora pependit,

id. ib. 5, 206; Curt. 4, 2, 9:

dumosā pendere procul de rupe videbo (capros),

Verg. E. 1, 77:

pendentes rupe capellae,

Ov. P. 1, 8, 51.—So of birds, which float or hover in the air:

olor niveis pendebat in aëra pennis,

Ov. M. 7, 379; 8, 145:

et supra vatem multa pependit avis,

Mart. Spect. 21.—

Of a rapid course: raraque non fracto vestigia pulvere pendent,

Stat. Th. 6, 638.—

To hang loosely together, be unstable, movable:

opertum (litus) pendeat algā,

Ov. M. 11, 233.—

To hang about, loiter, tarry, linger anywhere:

nostroque in limine pendes,

Verg. A. 6, 151.—

To hang down, be flabby or flaccid, weak, without strength:

fluidos pendere lacertos,

Ov. M. 15, 231:

pendentesque genas et aniles aspice rugas,

Juv. 10, 193.—

To weigh:

offula cum duabus costis quae penderet III. et XX. pondo,

Varr. R. R. 2, 4, 11:

cyathus pendet drachmas X., mna pendet drachmas Atticas centum,

Plin. 21, 34, 109, § 185:

Lucio Titio modios centum, qui singuli pondo centum pendeant, heres dato,

Dig. 33, 6, 7.—

Trop.

To hang, rest, or depend upon a person or thing (class.); constr. with ex, in, ab, the simple abl., or de:

tuorum, qui ex te pendent,

Cic. Fam. 6, 22, 2:

spes pendet ex fortunā,

id. Par. 2, 17:

ex quo verbo tota causa pendebat,

id. de Or. 2, 25, 107; id. Fam. 5, 13, 1:

hinc omnis pendet Lucilius,

Hor. S. 1, 4, 6:

an ignoratis. vectigalia perlevi saepe momento fortunae pendere?

Cic. Agr. 2, 29, 80:

salus nostra, quae spe exiguā extremāque pendet,

Cic. Fl. 2, 4:

tam levi momento mea apud vos fama pendet,

Liv. 2, 7, 10:

pendere ex alterius vultu ac nutu,

id. 39, 5, 3:

oblite, tuā nostram pendere salutem,

Sil. 3, 109: in sententiis [p. 1328] omnium civium famam nostram fortunamque pendere, Cic. Pis. 41, 98:

ex ancipiti temporum mutatione pendere,

Curt. 4, 1, 27; Luc. 5, 686:

deque tuis pendentia Dardana fatis,

Sil. 13, 504; Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 105:

tyrannus, cum quo fatum pendebat amici,

Juv. 4, 88.—

To hang upon a person's words, to gaze fixedly, listen attentively to ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose; cf.

haereo): (Dido) pendet iterum narrantis ab ore,

Verg. A. 4, 79:

narrantis conjux pendet ab ore viri,

Ov. H. 1, 30:

ab imagine pendet,

Sil. 8, 93; cf. Quint. 11, 3, 72:

pervigil Arcadio Tiphys pendebat ab astro,

Val. Fl. 1, 481:

attentus et pendens,

Plin. Ep. 1, 10, 7:

ex vultu dicentis pendent omnium vultus,

Sen. Contr. 9, 23, 5.— Poet., with a terminal clause:

e summo pendent cupida agmina vallo, Noscere quisque suos,

Stat. Th. 10, 457.—

To be suspended, interrupted, discontinued ( poet. and in post-class. prose):

pendent opera interrupta,

Verg. A. 4, 88:

mutui datio interdum pendet,

Dig. 12, 1, 8:

condictio pendet,

ib. 7, 1, 12 fin.:

actio negotiorum gestorum pendeat,

ib. 3, 5, 8; 24, 1, 11:

pendet jus liberorum, propter jus postliminii,

Just. Inst. 1, 12, 5.—

To hang suspended, be ready to fall:

nec amicum pendentem corruere patitur,

Cic. Rab. Post. 16, 43.—

To be in suspense, to be uncertain, doubiful, irresolute, perplexed (cf. haesito):

animus tibi pendet?

Ter. Ad. 2, 2, 18:

nolo suspensam et incertam plebem Romanam obscurā spe et caecā exspectatione pendere,

Cic. Agr. 2, 25, 66:

ne diutius pendeas,

id. Att. 4, 15, 6:

quia quam diu futurum hoc sit, non nimis pendeo,

Sen. Ep. 61, 2:

mortales pavidis cum pendent mentibus,

Lucr. 6, 51.—Esp. freq.:

pendere animi (locative case, v. Kühnast,

Liv. Synt. p. 39):

Clitipho cum spe pendebit animi,

Ter. Heaut. 4, 4, 5:

exanimatus pendet animi,

Cic. Tusc. 4, 16, 35:

pendeo animi exspectatione Corfiniensi,

id. Att. 8, 5, 2:

animi pendeo et de te et de me,

id. ib. 16, 12.—With rel.-clause:

ego animi pendeo, quid illud sit negotii,

Plaut. Merc. 1, 2, 18:

ostendis te pendere animi, quamnam rationem, etc.,

Cic. Att. 11, 12, 1; id. Leg. 1, 3, 9.—Less freq.: pendere animo: atque animo noctu pendens eventa timebat, Cic. poët. ap. Non. 204, 8.—In plur.:

animis: quodsi exspectando et desiderando pendemus animis, cruciamur, angimur,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 40, 96:

sollicitis ac pendentibus animis,

Liv. 7, 30 fin. dub. (al. animi, v. Drak. ad loc.).—With cum:

plebs innumera mentibus cum dimicationum curulium eventu pendentem,

Amm. 14, 6, 26.—Law t. t., to be undetermined, to await decision:

pendente condicione,

Gai. Inst. 2, 200; 1, 186; 3, 179.—

To have weight or value:

bona vera idem pendent,

Sen. Ep. 66, 30 (Haas; al. pendunt).—Hence, pendens, entis, P. a.

Hanging; in econom. lang., of fruits not yet plucked or gathered:

vinum,

Cato, R. R. 147:

vindemia,

Dig. 19, 1, 25:

olea,

Cato, R. R. 146:

fructus,

Dig. 6, 1, 44. —

Pending; hence, in jurid, Lat., in pendenti esse, to be pending, undecided, uncertain:

quando in pendenti est, an, etc.,

Dig. 38, 17, 10:

in pendenti est posterior solutio ac prior,

ib. 46, 3, 58; 7, 1, 25:

in pendenti habere aliquid,

to regard a thing as uncertain, doubtful, Dig. 49, 17, 19 fin.

fīlum, i. n. (also filus, i, m., acc. to Arn. 1, 36 dub., plur. heterocl., fili, Luc. 6, 460) [for figlum, v. figo], a thread of any thing woven (of linen or woolen cloth, a cobweb, etc.).

Lit., Varr. L. L. 5, § 113 Müll.; Enn. ap. Non. 116, 6 (Ann. v. 259 ed. Vahl.); Verg. A. 6, 30; Ov. A. A. 3, 445; id. M. 4, 36; Mart. 6, 3, 5; Cels. 7, 16:

lumen candelae cujus tempero filum,

wick, Juv. 3, 287:

tenuia aranei,

a web, Lucr. 3, 383:

tineae,

Ov. M. 15, 372.— Poet., of the thread of life spun by the Fates:

sororum fila trium,

Hor. C. 2, 3, 16; Verg. A. 10, 815; Ov. M. 2, 654; id. Tr. 5, 10, 45; Sil. 4, 28; Mart. 10, 5, 10 al.— Prov.: pendere filo (tenui), to hang by a thread, for to be in great danger: hac noctu filo pendebit Etruria tota, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 1, 4, § 18 (Ann. v. 153 ed. Vahl.):

omnia sunt hominum tenui pendentia filo,

Ov. P. 4, 3, 35; Val. Max. 6, 4, 1.—

In partic., the fillet of wool wound round the upper part of the flamen's cap, similar to the stemma of the Greeks; hence, in gen., a priest's fillet: APICVLVM, filum, quo flamines velatum apicem gerunt, Paul. ex Fest. p. 23 Müll.:

legatus capite velato filo (lanae velamen est), Audi, Juppiter, inquit, etc.,

Liv. 1, 32, 6:

filo velatus,

Tib. 1, 5, 15.—

Transf. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).

Of any thing slender and drawn out like a thread, a string, cord, filament, fibre:

tractat inauratae consona fila lyrae,

the strings, Ov. Am. 1, 8, 60; so,

lyrae,

id. M. 5, 118:

sonantia,

id. ib. 10, 89:

croci,

i. e. the stamen, id. F. 1, 342:

foliorum exilitas usque in fila attenuata,

Plin. 21, 6, 16, § 30; 11, 15, 15, § 39. —

Plur., shreds, slices, remnants:

fila sectivi porri,

Juv. 14, 133:

porris fila resecta suis,

Mart. 11, 52:

fila Tarentini graviter redolentia porri edisti,

id. 13, 18.—

I. q. crassitudo, the density, compactness, compact shape, or, in gen., contour, form, shape of an object:

forma quoque hinc solis debet filumque videri,

Lucr. 5, 571, v. Lachm. ad h. 1.; cf. id. 5, 581; 2, 341; 4, 88:

mulieris,

Plaut. Merc. 4, 4, 15:

corporis,

Varr. L. L. 10, § 4 Müll.; Gell. 1, 9, 2; Amm. 14, 11, 28:

forma atque filo virginali,

id. 14, 4, 2:

ingeniosus est et bono filo,

Petr. 46.—

Trop. (cf. the preced. no.), of speech, texture, sort, quality, nature, style (class.):

ego hospiti veteri et amico munusculum mittere (volui) levidense, crasso filo, cujusmodi ipsius solent esse munera,

i. e. of coarse texture, Cic. Fam. 9, 12, 2; cf.:

argumentandi tenue filum,

id. Or. 36, 124:

tenui deducta poëmata filo,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 225; cf.:

gracili connectere carmina filo, Col. poët. 10, 227: paulo uberiore filo,

Cic. de Or. 2, 22, 93:

orationis,

id. ib. 3, 26, 103:

aliud quoddam filum orationis tuae (= oratio uberior),

id. Lael. 7, 25.

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 sphad-, sphendonê, a sling; Lat. funda].— Lit., to cause to hang down, to suspend; esp. of scales in weighing.

Act., to weigh, weigh out.

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.—

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.—

Trop.

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.—

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.—

(Acc. to A. 2.) To pay, render ( poet.):

dignas pendere grates,

Stat. Th. 11, 223.—

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.

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. —

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.

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.—

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.