lindes

Lindes is a term used in Spanish and Portuguese to denote boundary lines between parcels of land, properties, or administrative jurisdictions. In land surveying, deeds, and cadastral records, the phrase los lindes or os lindes refers to the bordering lands that define where one property ends and another begins. The concept emphasizes the limits of possession rather than the size of the parcel, and descriptions often specify the lindes with neighboring property names, distances, and compass directions.

Origin and usage: The noun linde (plural lindes) is attested in medieval and early modern Iberian legal documents. The etymology is uncertain, but it is commonly treated as a native Romance term meaning border or boundary, possibly related to words in other Romance languages that denote edges or sides of property. In modern usage, lindes remain a standard legal and surveying term in many Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions, though common speech often uses more general terms like frontera or límite.

Contemporary relevance: In real estate transactions, municipal planning, and cadastral mapping, lindes are formal references for describing property extents, rights of passage, and obligations regarding fencing or maintenance. Disputes often concern Lindes and the accuracy of boundary markers, fences, or landmarks used to identify lindes. The term also appears in rural land descriptions, boundary agreements, and historical documents.

Surname and toponymy: Lindes may occur as a family name in some countries and may appear in historical records or genealogies. It is less common as a place name in widely referenced sources, and any towns or villages named Lindes are not part of major national lists.