clause
pronunciation
How to pronounce clause in British English:
UK [klɔːz]
How to pronounce clause in American English:
US [klɔːz]
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- Noun:
- (grammar) an expression including a subject and predicate but not constituting a complete sentence
- a separate section of a legal document (as a statute or contract or will)
Word Origin
- clause
- clause: [13] The etymological notion underlying clause is of ‘closing’ or ‘termination’. The word derives ultimately from Latin claudere (source of English close) and was originally applied either as a rhetorical term to the conclusion of a sentence, or as a legal term to the termination of a legal argument. Gradually, in both cases, the element of finality fell away, leaving the senses ‘short sentence’ and ‘section of a legal document’, which passed into English.The past participle of Latin claudere, clausus, probably produced an unrecorded noun *clausa (known only in its diminutive form clausula), which passed into English via Old French clause.=> clavier, close
- clause (n.)
- c. 1200, "a sentence, a brief statement, a short passage," from Old French clause "stipulation" (in a legal document), 12c., from Medieval Latin clausa "conclusion," used in the sense of classical Latin clausula "the end, a closing, termination," also "end of a sentence or a legal argument," from clausa, fem. noun from past participle of claudere "to close, to shut, to conclude" (see close (v.)). Grammatical sense is from c. 1300. Legal meaning "distinct condition, stipulation, or proviso" is recorded from late 14c. in English. The sense of "ending" seems to have fallen from the word between Latin and French.
Example
- 1. However , the non-solicit clause makes alternative proposals unlikely .
- 2. There is also no throws clause on method declarations .
- 3. An ex ante exit clause would not undermine european solidarity .
- 4. But expunging the clause is the sensible thing to do .
- 5. Legally , the euro has no exit clause .