Servituute

Servituute is a term whose use is largely historical and regional, generally equivalent to servitude. The spelling is uncommon in modern English and is found primarily in older legal writings or in translations from Romance languages where the equivalent term is servitù or servitude. Etymologically from Latin servitus, it encompasses the condition of being subject to the will or authority of another, or the imposition of a legal burden on property.

Within property law, servitude refers to a burden that runs with the land, allowing a party other than the owner to use or restrict the use of the land in specific ways. Common forms include rights of way, rights to draw water, or limitations on building. These are often distinguished as predial servitudes (affecting one property for the benefit of another) and personal servitudes (benefiting a particular person).

In social and historical contexts, servitude has also described a state of bondage or coerced labor. The term’s meaning can vary by era and jurisdiction, and modern discussions typically use 'servitude' to refer to either legal easements or to forms of slavery, clarifying the precise sense.

Today, servituute is seldom used in English, with 'servitude' or language-specific terms preferred. It may appear in academic translations or in discussions of civil-law traditions where it denotes property-based restrictions rather than personal liberty.