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Clause

nounPronunciation: /klɔːz/

In Portuguese: Cláusula

What does “Clause” mean?

A distinct article or stipulation in a formal treaty, bill, or legal contract addressing a specific condition or obligation.

Etymology

From Old French clause, from Medieval Latin clausa, "conclusion", used in the sense of classical Latin clausula, "the close of a sentence or of a rhetorical period". Both come from claudere, "to shut, to close", the source also of close and conclude. The word entered English in the 13th century for a sentence or short passage. The legal sense, a separate provision of a statute, treaty or contract, has been in use since the 14th century.

Usage note

In grammar the same word names a group of words with a subject and a verb. In legal writing a clause is usually numbered and may be divided into subclauses.

Synonyms

  • provision
  • stipulation
  • article
  • proviso
  • condition
  • term

Often confused with

clause (in grammar)
English uses clause both for a contract provision and for a unit of a sentence; Portuguese cláusula covers only the first, and the grammatical unit is called oração.

Word family

  • clausal
  • subclause
  • close
  • closure

Rhymes with

  • cause
  • pause
  • laws
  • jaws
  • paws
  • draws
  • gauze
  • applause

Usage examples

  • Generate me a Private Placement Memorandum (PPM) contract template // add more clauses.

Concept

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

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The lower-ranking free population in imperial Rome subject to severe criminal punishments, investigative torture, and forced labor.

Also from these editions: terms

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The tendency of an object to remain at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force, or a state of sluggish inaction in organizations.
Syntaxnoun
The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a natural language, or the structural rules governing code expressions in computing.

Also from these editions: concepts

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Cite this entry

“Clause”. Agency Wiki, Agency Brasil. Published on November 11, 2026. https://www.agencybrasil.com/en/wiki/dictionary/clause