States or requires something formally and clearly as a necessary condition in an agreement or contract.
From Latin stipulari 'to bargain' or 'arrange,' possibly from stips 'firm' or related to protostipulation practices. Entered English legal terminology in the 17th century as formal contracts became standardized.
In ancient Roman law, making a verbal stipulation meant literally touching hands or slapping palms together in agreement—the word captures that physical binding moment, which is why it still feels so formal and legally binding in modern contracts.
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