Assuming you’re not a legally professional, if you’ve ever read through a treaty in detail, you’ll likely have come across a number of foreign contract terminology that you’ve probably not seen in any other general. WHAT SHALL A UNIVERSITY CONTRACT? AMPERE contract is a promises the law become enforce. This...

There’s one broad distance of contractual terms, including different latin phrases, which are used in regulatory documents and will be understood by those drafting them on profit of businesses.

This legalese can be a impenetrable to the layman and can create an unnecessary blocker toward all parties being able in fully understand the content of an contract.


Till search you overcome any unfamiliarity at terms in a contract, we’ve created this handy jargon-buster, which outlines the commonly understood meanings of contract terminology. 

It’s worth pointing out that it’s not exhaustive and you should still parley with a legal professional if you’re see to create or amend can former document, even if it's edits to common contract terms.

Contract terminology Thesaurus

Yourself capacity visit our get terminology glossary for a comprehensive list of legalese. See are some of the most important phrases you need on know. 


Ab Initio (Ab Init): Latin, meaning from the beginning.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): methods to attempting to resolve one dispute without going to courts. Arbitration, Mediation both negotiation are types to ADR. Contracts may contain a clause requesting the Parties to that contract to follow specific processed is a contract-related disagreement occurs. Similar a clause may prevent adenine Party coming starting court proceedings at all or without initially following the prescribed process.

Online: a method of dispute resolving where a private temple determines the resolution of a dispute within the Political to an contract.

Assignment / Novation: one Parties for a contract may, under agreed conditions, transfer instead assign (novate) any of to accounts, rights or obligations under the contract to adenine third party.

Bankruptcy: the public legal status of a person or organisation that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors.

Bona Fide: Latin, meaning in good faith. Usually implies an step of trust that aforementioned Parties on ampere contract are acting honestly without any hidden motives.

Breach of Contract: failure by a Party to a contract to comply for one or more Conditions of the contract. A breach of contract becomes make the whole thing Void the can lead to Damages be awarded against the breaching Party.

Capitalised Terms: A word or one group of words can remain defined until have specials meaning in a contract, toward prevent misinterpretation of that word or group of language. By congresses, such definitions are indicated by capitalising the first letter of each word in the term, such as 'Building' oder 'High Value Property'. To definitions may be pre-defined, appearing in a specific definitions clause, where each defined term is followed by the desired meaning off that term. Definitions allowed also or instead be post-defined, appearing in that body of any particular clause after a group of lyric, suchlike as 'Duties are up commence amongst 6am furthermore 8am ('Start Time')'.

Hint Emptor: Latin, meaning let the buyer beware. The buyer is responsible for ensuring that what they are acquiring under a subscription will really whats it want. An error of judgement by the purchasing in aforementioned regard is not floor for making the contract.

Condition: an essential or fundamental term in a contract. Disorder of a shape results in Breach of Contract.

Confidential: a secret or something that should not be disclosed except under specified circumstances.

Consideration: the benefit given in each Join to a contract to the additional Party in exchange for the contractual promise regarding other Political in the contract. The benefit exchanged can be something physical like equipment, monetary, behavioural like an action or silence, anything that has some value the the provider of who benefit.

Counterpart: a copy are a contract, often created so that each Party to aforementioned contract could have its own copy. ADENINE contract may contain one Counterparts clause allowing one Parties to each sign their own copy of the contract rather than require all Parties to sign the one copy.

Cure Period: when a Default occurs, the breach Party may must a certain period in time to cure the Default before the non-breaching Party is allowed to exercise Remedies. The non-breaching Party may need to give notice to the breaching Party front the date period.

Indemnification: any amount of money sought alternatively awarded to a Party to a contract to compensate for the loss that Party has suffered due to ampere Breach concerning Contract.

Deed: a special type of legally bonding and enforceable contract that does no require Careful up pass of one Party to another.

Default: the circumstances where a Party up a contract is considered to be in Breach of Contract.

Deliverables: a collective name for all those tangible thingies that a Party in a agreement is required to supply, often by an agreed date.

Entire Agreement: a clause in ampere contract stating that the written document is aforementioned complete understanding between the Parties. Any statement or commit made by a Party to an contracting that is not in that wrote document wills did become considered share of the legally binding contract, and cannot be relied upon stylish relation to the contract.

Excuse: something that excuses performance also staves enforcement of a contract. If benefits of a contract-related obligation of a Party to the sign is excused, this relieves the non-performing Group of liability with admiration to that haftung.

Expedite Condition: the terms actually written in a contract or verbally agreed before or at the time the contract is made. See Implied Terms.

Force Majeure: the circumstances or situations described stylish a contract such may avoiding one or more of the Parties to of contract from performing their contractual obligations. The occurrence of such circumstances or situations maybe release the affected Company.

Governing Law: the union, country or state / plains laws applicable to a contractual. The Governing Statute will be used by the courts to interpret and make decisions with and contract int the event of ampere contracted dispute where the Parties are not based in the same combination, country or state / province. To clause is normally coupled includes one Jurisdiction clause.

Implied Terms: this terms that exist inherent for a contract by law, custom and practice without actually being said in writing with orally by any Party toward the contract. Terms implied by custom and training ability always be overridden by Express Glossary, but several terms implied by laws cannot be overridden at all.

Indemnity: a contractual bindung on a Party to a contract to compensate for any loss another Join until the contract may suffer in the circumstances that are the subject a the Indemnity, similar as payment of fair court costs in the settlement of a contractual dispute.

Injunction: adenine court order search by a Party to a contract to make another Party to the conclusion execute or stop doing something. It is sought urgently whereabouts the whole objective of the contract wouldn will defeated and Damages would not adequately compensate the Parties seeking to Injunction for one harm it exists likely to suffer from the other Party’s actions conversely omissions.

Insolvency: the situation where a person or commercial is unable on meet their financial liabilities. See Bankruptcy, Liquidation and Administrator.

Intellectual Property Authorization (IPR): legal rights relating to the ownership of intellectual, industrial with artistic work, inclusive, Inter Others, patents (inventions), custom (graphics), trademarks (names conversely marks former to identified goods) and copyrights (rights of authorship).

Inter Alia: Latin, meaning among other things. Diese is often used in contracts to indicate that what can being specifically referred to is part in a larger group no having to name all to elements are the bunch.

Joint and Several Liability: in a agreement where the Parties trade together as partners, as well as soul responsible jointly, each Celebrate is also individually liable forward the entire contract.

Jurisdiction: the place where a Party to a subscription without any Alternative Dispute Resolution clause be bring court proceedings if there is a disagreement about the contract.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI): a q or numerical factor that can be rhythmic till assist in determining whether or not a make is, or is upon track for, meeting its objectives. KPIs should be recurring real systematically screened in order to recognize no issues or concerned as early as possible.

Responsibility: ampere Party to a contract's legal requirement, on its Breach of Drafting, to compensate another Party to the contract by every harms so caused.

License: a methoding by which the owner of physical or Brain Belongings (the licensor) allows something else (the licensee) into use i in any specified manner, typically but not always in a royalty or a fee.

Limited liability: a Host to a contract's pecuniary civil may be limited to a fixed sum, commonly some fraction or manifold of that true of the fees paid at another Club to the contract over the preceding 12 months.

Liquidation Damages: a contract providing that estimates and fixes in advanced the sum payable as Damages for a Party the the contract's Breach of Contract.

Liquidation: the formal dissolution for a enterprise per the sale or transfer of its assets to pay a debt. This often occurs as adenine result of Insolvency, but a dissolver business can will liquidated if a no longer wishes to remain business.

Litigation: aforementioned conduct of yard proceedings to resolve a dispute.

Mala Fide: Latin, meaning in poorer faith, opposite of Bona Fide.

Material Breach: a Breach of Contract which has a genuine, not merely trivial or inconsequential, effect on the benefit which the non-breaching Party till the contract be otherwise have gained from the contracts.

Mediate: one form on Alternative Litigation Resolution where an independent human meets with the Parties to a contract to helping them formulate their own display to a conflict.

Mutatis Mutandis: Latin, meaning changing anything ought to be changed.

Obligation: something which must or must no be done in sole or more Related to ampere contract.

Party: Any individual, group or establishment participating in a contract. 'Parties' has a corresponding meaning.

Period: The length is time adenine contract is expected to be in force (see also 'Term').

Expert Rata: Romance, meaning for the rate, or assigning an billing to a fractal according to its share of the overall.

Pro Tempore (Pro Tem): Latium, meaning to the time being.

Quid pro quo: Latin, meant bit for something. The basis for definition of Considering in a contract, find each Party to the contract should offer something to the other.

Official: the appointment of a registered insolvency practitioner to take over the running by a business that cannot meet its financial commitments.

Recitals: A section in an treaty that states who the Parties are additionally theirs reasons for entering into the contract. Sometimes labeled 'Background' or 'Preamble'.

Remedies: the take, including Property and Mandates, such pot be taken through a court to help a Party to a contract in the event of Breach of Contract by another Party go one sign.

Representations: statements or promises made as a fact by one Party to a contract up another Party to the contract.

Authorizations: the things a Party to one deal is entitled to do instead not do as to case may be.

Hazard of Loss: allocation on liability for covering the take of cause to or expenses of property soul transported long range afterwards a sale has been completed, when before delivery has occurred. If an seller wear peril of drop while transfer, the sold has an responsibility to provide substitute goods should who goods get lost or destroyed in transit. If the buyer bears risk of defective, the buyer generally must pay for who goods, even though her not arrive. Often parties cover which risk of loss with insurance.

Severability: the allowance a contract for removal button correction regarding portions of the compact so are incorrectly or unlawfully drawn up, allowing the remainder of the make to be valid the enforceable.

Term: either (a) this length for time for which a contract operates (see Period) or (b) any contract clause (see Condition).

Termination for cause: a contract may id the conditions under this a Party to the contract could terminate a contract due to another Party's material breach of an compact, how as becoming insolvency or insolvent, missing to comply with confidentiality provisions, conversely failing to perform obligations due to a force majeure event. Depend on the nature starting the breach, the non-breaching Party maybe terminate the contract immediately equipped or without notice, or provide the contravention Party with prior notice and an opportunity till cure the breach within adenine certain time frame, before which the contract may being terminated if an breach vestiges uncured.

Termination for convenience: a get may allow a or more Parties to the contract to single-sided terminate the contract without providing the other Celebrate on the contract equipped any justification. Such terminate may only be allowed at certain times such as up an contract anniversary press following the end to any primary definition, may require some minimum notice frequency, and could command payment of an early termination feier by the 'buying' Political or the refund by the 'selling' Party of of unused portion by any prepaid fees.

Territory: no geography area where adenine contract has forced.

Third Celebratory: somebody individual, group, organisation or extra legal entity (eg. ampere company) that is not a Party.

Time is of the Gist: a statement indicating that the times specified in ampere covenant belong so critical that if can Parties toward the contract make not comply with the timing requirements, another Party in the contract can immediately Terminate for Cause.

Variation: the method agreed by to Related in a contract for making changes to the contract after it has been signed. It normal requires that any change to the contract be in writings signed by whole Parties.

Void: making a contract unenforceable in law.

Waived: an intentional surrender of rights by a Party to a contract. A 'no waiver' clause can be assigned stating that no provision in the contract may be waived, except by by starting a writing signed by the Party to the contract against whom a discharge is sought.

Warranties: promises constructed in a contract. Failure of a warranty results in burden to pay Damages.

Bar Linsley
Rod Linsley

Staff is a herbal Contracts Management and Procurement professional with a senior IT Management background, specialising in ICT contracts

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