stipulation

/stɪpjuˈleɪʃɪn/

/stɪpjuˈleɪʃən/

Other forms: stipulations

If all stipulations aren't met, the deal's off. By not reading the contract's fine print, you overlooked the stipulation that you perform in a clown suit. At least you can juggle.

The Latin root of stipulation is stipulat-, meaning “demanded as a formal promise.” The judge might allow you to go free, with the stipulation that you never again go swimming in a public fountain. A nightly foot massage could be one of many stipulations detailed in your “dating agreement.” Right or left tonight?

Definitions of stipulation

1. noun

   a restriction that is insisted upon as a condition for an agreement
   synonyms: specification

   type of:

   confinement, restriction

   the act of keeping something within specified bounds (by force if necessary)
2. noun

   (law) an agreement or concession made by parties in a judicial proceeding (or by their attorneys) relating to the business before the court; must be in writing unless they are part of the court record
   “a stipulation of fact was made in order to avoid delay”

   synonyms: judicial admission

   type of:

   concession

   a point conceded or yielded
3. noun

   an assumption on which rests the validity or effect of something else
   synonyms: condition, precondition

   types:

   boundary condition

   (mathematics) a condition specified for the solution to a set of differential equations

   provision, proviso

   a stipulated condition

   type of:

   assumption, premise, premiss

   a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn