gravame

Gravame is a noun used in several Romance languages, notably Italian and Portuguese, to denote a burden, weight, or obligation attached to something. In legal and administrative contexts, a gravame represents an encumbrance or liability that must be recognized or disclosed, often affecting the value or free use of a property or right. The term comes from Latin gravis, meaning heavy, and entered modern usage through evolution in civil and fiscal vocabularies.

In Italian law and civil commerce, gravame denotes a formal burden on a thing or person, such as a mortgage, servitude, lien, or other encumbrance that limits owners' rights or imposes duties. It is commonly used in property descriptions and contracts to indicate that a right or asset is not free from encumbrances.

In Portuguese law, particularly in Portugal and Brazil, gravame has a similar sense as a legal encumbrance on real property or rights. A gravame real refers to a real burden, such as a mortgage, property right, easement, or tax lien that attaches to the asset and must be satisfied or disclosed in transfers of ownership. The term is also applied more broadly to non-property charges, including fiscal liabilities or regulatory obligations.

Beyond law, gravame may appear in administrative or accounting language to describe costs or constraints that reduce an entity's economic capacity, such as tax burdens or administrative charges.

In sum, gravame is a formal expression for burdens that constrain rights, value, or use, commonly encountered in property law and public administration in Romance-language contexts.