合同条款是合同条件的表现和固定化，是确定合同当事人权利和义务的根据。即从法律文书而言，合同的内容是指合同的各项条款。因此，合同条款应当明确、肯定、完整，而且条款之间不能相互矛盾。否则将影响合同成立，生效和履行以及实现订立合同的目的，所以准确理解条款含义有重要作用。今天，小编就带大家一起学习关于“条款”的法律英语词义辨析。

Term/condition 

warranty/provision/article

clause/stipulation/prescription

以上单词均有“条款”的含义。

1

Term

合同条款，约定，可数名词；也有合同的期限的意思，当表期限时为不可数名词。

英文释义：    

1、A word or phrase; esp, an expression that has a fixed meaning in some field <term of art>.

2、A contractual stipulation <the delivery term provided for shipment within 30 days>. See CONDITION (3)

——Black‘s Law Dictionary

2

Condition

合同的条件条款。为合同的重要和先决条款，法庭如认定合同的某一条款属于“条件”，则条件的不真实或违反可使义务方免除全部合同责任。

英文释义：

1、A stipulation or prerequisite in a contract, wil-l, or other instrument, constituting the essence of the instrument. If a court construes a contractual term to be a condition, then its untruth or breach will entitle the party to whom it is made to be discharged frm all liabilities under the contract.

2、Loosely, a term, provision, or clause in a contract. 

3、A qualification attached to the conveyance of property providing that if a particular event does or does not take place, the estate will be created, enlarged, defeated, or transferred.

——Black‘s Law Dictionary

3

Warranty

通常是指一种对现有事实或情况的“保证”或“担保”。（合同条款中的）担保源于英国合同法，与合同条款中的条件［ condition］相对。传统的观点认为，任一合同条款［term of a contract］，无论其为明示或默示，根据其在合同目的中的重要性，要么为条件，要么为担保。如果其条款与合同本质相关，则其为条件；余者即为担保，亦即附属于合同主要目的的条款。违反条件的，当事人可主张撤销合同；违反担保的，当事人只能主张损害赔偿，而无权拒绝接受货物和撤销合同。英国1893年和1979年《货物买卖法》 Sale of Goods Act］均引入此观点。现代，尤其在判例中已不再按传统严格区分条件与担保合同，条款的法律效力主要取决于其违约的后果。但是，在苏格兰，担保却总是指实质性的或基本的条款，违反该条款，足以使对方当事人有权将该合同作为已撤销合同对待。

英文释义：

1、 Property. A covenant by which the grantor in a deed promises to secure to the grantee the estate conveyed in the deed， and pledges to compensate the grantee if the grantee is evicted by someone having better title.

2、 Contracts. An express or implied promise that something in furtherance of the contract is guaranteed by one of the contracting parties; esp., a seller’s promise that the thing being sold is as represented or promised.

3、 Insurance. A pledge or stipulation by the insured that the facts relating to the person insured, the thing insured, or the risk insured are as stated.

——Black‘s Law Dictionary

4

Provision

条文。法律、合同或其他文书的条款。

英文释义：

1、A clause in a statute, contract, or other legal instrument.

2、A stipulation made beforehand. See PROVISO.

——Black‘s Law Dictionary

5

Article

法律、契约等的条款。Articles指文件的条款。

英文释义：

1、 A separate and distinct part (as a clause or stipulation )of a writing, esp. in a contract, statute, or constitution <Article III>.

3、(pl.) An instrument containing a set of rules or stipulations <articles of war> <articles of incorporation>.

——Black‘s Law Dictionary

6

Clause

①   （契约、遗嘱、条约、法律、宪法等法律文件的）条款；

②   《英》法案条款指提交给议会的法案经过编号的部分，如被通过，即成为该法令的条文。

英文释义：

A distinct section or provision of a legal document or instrument.

——Black‘s Law Dictionary

7

Stipulation

①   契约或协定中的实质性条款；

②   诉讼协议就诉讼程序或事实审理的相关事项，当事人双方或其代理人所为之协议，特别是书面协议。据此可以免予证明、剔除争点、进行承认或自认、减少陪审员人数、确定证据披露方法等。

英文释义：

1、A material condition or requirement in an agreement; esp, a factual representation that is incorporated into a contract as a term <breach of the stipulation regarding payment of taxes>.

2、A voluntary agreement between opposing parties concerning some relevant point; esp., an agreement relating to a proceeding, made by attorneys representing adverse parties to the proceeding <the plaintiff and defendant entered into a stipulation on the issue of liability>.

3、Roman law. A formal contract boy which a promisor (and only the promisor)became bound by oral question and answer.

——Black‘s Law Dictionary

8

Prescription

命令；指示；规定；法规。

英文释义：

1、The act of establishing authoritative rules.

2、A rule so established. —— Also termed (archaically) prescript.

3、The effect of the lapse of time in creating and destroying rights.

4、The extinction of a title or right by failure to claim or exercise it over a long period.——Also termed negative prescription; extinctive prescription.

5、The acquisition of title to a thing.

6、Int' l law. The acquisition of a territory through a continuous and undisputed exercise of sovereignty over it.

7、Oil ang gas. A Louisiana doctrine that extinguishes unused mineral servitudes after ten years if there is no effort to discover or produce on the land or the land pooled with it.

——Black‘s Law Dictionary

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（本文转自公众号“律蚁语言服务社”，已获授权）