stipulati

Stipulati is the masculine plural form of stipulatus in Latin, literally meaning “those who have stipulated.” In the context of ancient Roman law, stipulati referred to the parties involved in a stipulatio, a distinctive form of contract conducted by a question-and-answer formula. The stipulation typically began with one party, the stipulator, posing a precise question about a duty or obligation. The other party, often called the promissor, answered in the affirmative with a promise to fulfill the stated obligation. Upon a affirmative response, the stipulatio created a binding contractual obligation.

The stipulatio was notable for its formality and flexibility. It could govern a wide range of obligations, including payment of money, delivery of goods, or performance of services, so long as the matter could be expressed in the required formulaic form. The simplicity of its structure contributed to its widespread use in Roman commercial and personal transactions.

In legal history, stipulati thus denotes the participants who entered into such agreements. The stipulation was a fundamental instrument in Roman contract law and influenced later civil-law traditions, where formal, promise-based contracts and the concept of obliga­ tions evolved. Although the explicit Roman procedure is rarely used today, the term stipulatio and its participants are frequently discussed in studies of Roman law and legal history.

In modern usage, “stipulatio” survives as a scholarly term for this ancient contract form, while “stipulati” appears mainly in Latin texts. In contemporary English, the concept is often described more generally as a stipulation or a contractual clause, rather than by the Latin plural.