clause
[ klawz ]
/ klɔz /
noun
Grammar.
a syntactic construction containing a subject and predicate and forming part of a sentence or constituting a whole simple sentence.
a distinct article or provision in a contract, treaty, will, or other formal or legal written document.
Origin of clause
1175–1225; Middle English
claus(e) (< Anglo-French) < Medieval Latin
clausa, back formation from Latin
clausula
clausula
OTHER WORDS FROM clause
claus·al, adjective sub·claus·al, adjective sub·clause, nounWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH clause
clause clawsWords nearby clause
claudine,
claudius,
claudius i,
claudius ii,
claught,
clause,
clausewitz,
clausius,
clausius cycle,
clausthalite,
claustral
Definition for clause (2 of 2)
in terrorem clause
[ in te-rawr-em, -rohr- ]
/ ɪn tɛˈrɔr ɛm, -ˈroʊr- /
noun Law.
a clause in a will stating that a beneficiary who contests the will shall lose his or her legacy.
Origin of in terrorem clause
From the Latin word
in terrōrem into terror, i.e., by intimidation, by way of warning
Example sentences from the Web for clause
British Dictionary definitions for clause
clause
/ (klɔːz) /
noun
grammar
a group of words, consisting of a subject and a predicate including a finite verb, that does not necessarily constitute a sentence
See also main clause, subordinate clause, coordinate clause
a section of a legal document such as a contract, will, or draft statute
Derived forms of clause
clausal, adjectiveWord Origin for clause
C13: from Old French, from Medieval Latin
clausa a closing (of a rhetorical period), back formation from Latin
clausula, from
claudere to close
Cultural definitions for clause
clause
A group of words in a sentence that contains a subject and predicate. (See dependent clause and independent clause.)