clause - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

A clause can be a scary thing. Whether it is a stipulation in a contract or a grammatical concept, people sometimes avoid clauses because they are too difficult to grasp.

A provision or stipulation in a contract, clause is a noun that comes to us from the old French clause, which, if we trace it way back, comes from the Latin clausula “the end, a closing termination.” Circa 1300, the “ending” implication of the word began to fade and was replaced by “article or section of a text.” Legal documents, like prenuptial agreements or job contracts, often contain a clause, or many.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: clause

1	n	a separate section of a legal document (as a statute or contract or will)
2	n	(grammar) an expression including a subject and predicate but not constituting a complete sentence

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: clause

1

n a separate section of a legal document (as a statute or contract or will)

Synonyms:: article

Types:: show 7 types...; hide 7 types...; arbitration clause
a clause in a contract providing for arbitration of disputes arising under the contract; deductible
a clause in an insurance policy that relieves the insurer of responsibility to pay the initial loss up to a stated amount; double indemnity
a clause in an insurance policy that provides for double the face value of the policy in the case of accidental death; escalator, escalator clause
a clause in a contract that provides for an increase or a decrease in wages or prices or benefits etc. depending on certain conditions (as a change in the cost of living index); joker
an inconspicuous clause in a document or bill that affects its meaning in a way that is not immediately apparent; reserve clause
a clause that used to be part of the contract with a professional athlete extending the contract for a year beyond its expiration; rider
a clause that is appended to a legislative bill

Type of:: section, subdivision
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)

2

n (grammar) an expression including a subject and predicate but not constituting a complete sentence

Types:: show 6 types...; hide 6 types...; independent clause, main clause
a clause in a complex sentence that can stand alone as a complete sentence; coordinate clause
a clause in a complex sentence that is grammatically equivalent to the main clause and that performs the same grammatical function; dependent clause, subordinate clause
a clause in a complex sentence that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and that functions within the sentence as a noun or adjective or adverb; relative clause
a clause introduced by a relative pronoun; restrictive clause
a subordinate clause that limits or restricts the meaning of the noun phrase it modifies; descriptive clause, nonrestrictive clause
a subordinate clause that does not limit or restrict the meaning of the noun phrase it modifies

Type of:: construction, expression, grammatical construction
a group of words that form a constituent of a sentence and are considered as a single unit