inconvenant

Inconvenant is a relatively rare term used to describe something that is not in accordance with a covenant, formal agreement, or contract. In legal and political theory, it can refer to terms, actions, or conditions that are incompatible with or breach the obligations established by a covenant between parties. As a coinage or neologism, it is infrequently attested in authoritative sources and is not widely recognized in standard dictionaries.

Etymology: The word blends the prefix in- meaning not with covenant, the term for a formal agreement, itself derived from Old French covenaunt and Latin convenire "to come together." The form inconvenant is occasionally seen as a French-leaning spelling; in English, inconvenant is used rarely and often as a stylistic variant.

Context and usage: In discussions of contract law, governance, or social contracts, inconvenant may be used to describe provisions, terms, or conduct that do not align with the covenant's spirit or letter, potentially constituting breach, non-compliance, or conflict with the covenant's aims. It can also appear in speculative or fictional writings to describe a covenant's failure to bind parties as intended.

Examples: The new clause proved inconvenant with the covenant governing sole property rights. The rebel coalition argued that the treaty's enforcement mechanisms were inconvenant to the covenant's foundational principles.

See also: covenant, breach of covenant, breach of contract, nonconformity, inconsistency, incongruity.