stipulation
Meaning
A condition or requirement that is specified or demanded as part of an agreement.
The action of specifying or demanding a specific condition in an agreement.
Structure
Usage
A key stipulation of the contract is that the work must be completed by the end of the year.
He agreed to the loan, but with the stipulation that the interest rate would remain fixed.
The peace treaty included several stipulations regarding the withdrawal of troops.
Etymology
The word 'stipulation' originates from the Latin verb stipulari, meaning to bargain or demand a formal promise. This term is thought to derive from stipulus, meaning firm or binding, reflecting the seriousness of such an agreement. In ancient Roman law, a 'stipulatio' was a formal, verbal contract where a precise question was met with an equally precise answer, creating a legal obligation. Over time, the term evolved in English to refer broadly to any specified condition or demand that forms an essential part of a formal agreement, retaining its core sense of a binding requirement.
Analysis
- stipul: From Latin stipulari (to demand, bargain), likely from stipulus (firm). Its functional role is the core root conveying the sense of a demand or bargain. - ation: A suffix of Latin origin (-ationem), forming nouns indicating an action or its result. Its functional role is to nominalize the verb, turning the action into a concept.