Clause

A part of a treaty; of a legislative act; of a deed; of a will, or other written instrument; a part of a sentence. As used in a statute relating to wills, a clause is "some collocation of words in a will which, when removed out of the will, will leave the rest intelligible." The clause need not "be capable of being read as a document by itself, if taken alone." L. R. 4 App. Cas. 77.

A part of a treaty; of a legislative act; of a deed; of a will, or other written instrument. A part of a sentence.

A single paragraph or subdivision of a legal document, such as a contract, deed, will, constitution or statute. Sometimes a sentence or part of a sentence. Appcal of Miles, 68 Conn. 237, 36 Atl. 39, 36 L. In A. 176; Eschbach v. Collins, 61 Md. 499, 48 Am. Rep. 123.

— Clause irritant. In Scotch law. By this clause, in a deed or settlement, the acts or deeds of a tenant for life or other proprietor, contrary to the conditions of his right, become null and void ; and by the "resolutive" clause such right becomes resolved and extinguished. Bell.

— Clause potestative. In French law. The name given to the clause whereby one party to a contract reserves to himself the right to annul it.

— Clause rolls. In English law. Rolls which contain all such matters of record as were committed to close write ; these rolls are preserved in the Tower.

In old English law. Close, sealed, as, a writ not open or patent V. Olausum; Close; Patent. Claase rolls, or Close rolls: rolls preserved in London, containing the records of writs close, literae, etc.

A single paragraph or subdivision of a legal document, such as a contract, deed, will, constitution, or statute. Sometimes a sentence or part of a sentence.

A separate portion: a part of a written instrument. One of the subdivisions of a written or printed document. Clauses take their names from the nature of the provision intended to be made by them. Of the more common are: clause of jurisdiction — in a bill in equity; clause of accruer; commerce, dictionary, enacting, guaranty, penal, residuary, and sweeping clause, qq. v. CLAUSUM. L. a close; an inclosure. Quare clausum fregit (pl. fregerunt). Wherefore he broke the close. The emphatic words in the old Latin writ commanding a defendant to show cause why he made an alleged unlawful entry upon plaintiff's land. Abridged to trespass quare clausum, qu. cl. fr., and q. c. f. See Close, 3; Trespass.

Close, sealed; used of writs not open or patent.

[L. Lat. clausi, clausa.] In old English law. Close, as distinguished from patent. See Clausum, Close, Patent.

contracts. <A particular disposition which makes part of a treaty, an act of the lecislature, a deed, written agreement, or other written contract or will. When a clause is obscurely written, it ought to be construed in such a way as to agree with what precedes and what follows, if possible.