Arvelduse

Arvelduse is a term that appears in a limited number of Estonian-language historical and legal texts, but it does not have a single, widely accepted definition in standard dictionaries. In these sources it is used to denote a process or arrangement related to the transfer of property, wealth, or duties upon death or through a bequest. Because the term is not standardized, its exact scope and implications can differ between authors, periods, and legal traditions.

Etymology and form: The origins of arvelduse are unclear in the surviving scholarship. Some scholars treat it as a historical variant or specialized term connected to inheritance, while others view it as a term that appeared in particular legal compilations. The suffix '-duse' is common in Estonian to form abstract nouns indicating a process, which supports the interpretation of arvelduse as a process of bequest or estate transfer in certain contexts, though this interpretation is not universally accepted.

Historical usage: Occurrences of arvelduse appear in medieval and early modern records, in chronicles, land registries, and legal codices that discuss the distribution of an estate among heirs, the obligations of heirs, or the succession rights of family members. In modern Estonia the term is generally replaced by standard terms such as pärand (inheritance) and pärimisõigus (right of succession).

Modern status and scope: Today arvelduse is typically encountered only in academic discussions, philological notes, or historical studies of law. Because of its rarity and lack of formal definition, it is treated as a historical or terminological artifact rather than a living branch of contemporary law.

See also: pärand, pärimisõigus, pärimine.