conductio

Conductio is a Latin noun, feminine, formed from the verb ducere meaning to lead or bring. In general use it denotes the act of leading, guiding, or managing; in broader medieval and scholarly Latin it can refer to conduct, behavior, or administration. In legal and technical contexts, the term takes on a more specialized sense related to contractual arrangements.

In Roman law, conductio is notably used as part of the class of contracts known as locatio conductio. This umbrella category covers several distinct arrangements, including locatio conductio rei (lease of a thing), locatio conductio operarum (hire of services or labor), and locatio conductio operis (hire of works or completion of a task). In these formulations, conductio describes the obligation to provide or procure a service or performance in exchange for payment, distinct from other contracts such as purchase or lease. The locatio conductio framework was an influential part of private law and later informed civil-law traditions in medieval and early modern Europe.

Today, conductio appears predominantly in historical, philological, and legal studies dealing with Roman law and its legacy. Outside these fields, the term is rarely used in everyday English or Latin. When encountered, it is usually in discussions of contract theory, legal history, or Latin linguistic analysis, where it helps to describe the specific Roman-law concept of hire or service provision embedded within locatio conductio. See also Roman law, locatio conductio, and civil-law contract theory.