Commodatum
“Loan for use.”
Roman legal term
What does “Commodatum” mean?
Commodatum translates as “Loan for use.”
It is a free loan of a thing that must be returned itself, like lending a friend your bicycle. Because the borrower benefits without paying, Roman law held them to a high standard of care.
The story behind it
Commodatum was one of the Roman real contracts, formed by handing over the thing; it survives under that name in many civil codes.
How to use “Commodatum”
A neat term for a contracts class explaining the difference between lending and renting.
- Latin
- Commodatum
- English
- Loan for use.
- Source
- Roman legal term
- Era
- Legal Latin
- Theme
- Friendship
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