arra

arra, arrabo, arralis, v. arrha, arrhabo, arrhalis.

arra (arrha), ae, f., u. arrabo (arrhabo), ōnis, m. (ἀῤῥαβών, vom hebr. ןוברע, Unterpfand, aus ברע, bürgen), I) das bei einem Vertrage gegebene Unterpfand, Angeld, das Kaufgeld, der Kaufschilling, arrabonem dare, Plaut.: arraboni dare has quadraginta minas, Plaut.: pro arrabone dari, Vulg.: arrabonem hoc ferre pro mina, Plaut.: puellam arraboni relinquere pro argento, Ter.: fenus copiosum sub arrabone auri argentique crebriter exercens, auf Gold u. Silber als Pfand gegen reichlichen Zins häufig Gelder leihend, Apul. – quod arrae nomine pro emptione datur, Gaius dig.: anulum arrae nomine accipere, Ulp. dig. – Insbes., Plur. arrae = der Mahlschatz (bei Verlobungen), Paul. dig. 23, 2, 38. Cod. Iust. 5, 1, 5; vollst. arrae sponsaliciae, Cod. Iust. 5, 1, 5; 5, 2, 1. Gregor. ep. 1, 71 – II) übtr.: arra mortis, Plin. 29, 21 – potestatis et virtutis suae arrabo, Tert. adv. Hermog. 34: arrabo spiritus, Itala 2. Corinth. 5, 5: hunc arrabonem amoris primum a me accipe, Plaut. mil. 957. – ➳ Scherzhaft abgek. rabo, Plaut. truc. 688 u. 689.

arra [CL] , earnest money, pledge. b brideprice. c (fig.). ~a, gylden wedd vel feoh Ælf. Gl.; †1032 (16c) in ~as hujus meae satisfactionis ‥ offero ‥ unum calicem CD 748; 1184 Bonenfant Judeus reddit compotum de x m. pro habendis erris suis quas dederat pro predicta domo Pipe 107; 1205 quod ‥ faciatis inarrari ‥ omnes naves ‥ et quantum posueritis in ~is illarum nobis scire faciatis Cl 29a; 1237 emit ‥ totam lanam ‥ de hac prima tonsione, ‥ unde reddidit ‥ pre manibus ~arum nomine xxx m. CurR XVI 11; c1250 si quis emerit ‥ mercimonia et dederit denarium Dei vel aliquod argentum in ~is, pacabit mercatori ‥ secundum forum prius factum Stat. Gild. Berw. 28; 1271 quod ‥ bona Flandrensium ‥ simul cum ~is et debitis ipsorum (Breve Regis) Leg. Ant. Lond. 138; 1275 (v. argentum 3b); s1275 recepimus in ~is xxx m. Ann. Dunstable 265; 1342 cum . ‥. magistris navium earundem certas pecuniarum summas nomine errarum de veniendo ad certum diem ‥ solvi fecerimus Cl 171 m. 27d.; ~a simonie prius data gravatur Wycl. Sim. VI 71.  b desponsata probo pactis sponsalibus arrae Aldh. VirgV 2068; 1282 damus potestatem ‥ recipiendi ‥ concessionem ~arum faciendam per ‥ regem Arragonum ‥ racione matrimonii inter [filiam nostram] ‥ et ‥ domicellum Alfonsum RGasc II 161.  c scandens in ligno Christus dedit arram vitae Aldh. Met. 10 p. 85; ‘dedit pignus spiritus ‥’, id est arrham sui vel aeternae hereditatis Lanfr. Comment. Paul. 220 (2 Cor. i 22) ; hec te generatio querit, Domine Deus, quia et eam ad te querendum excitas, consecrans eam arrha tua et dedicans pignore tuo Ad. Scot TGC 825B; —a eterne remunerationis ‥ dotatur R. Cold. Cuthb. 2; s1068 rex Willelmus ‥ cepit ‥ mortis ~am cum infirmitatibus presentire M. Par. Min. I 30; c1350 tremor, error et arra doloris (In Franciam) Pol. Poems I 36; 1441 literas ‥ tuas, uti primas amoris in me tui ~as, letabundus excepi Bekynton I 170.

arra, æ, f. , gages, arrhes : Plin. 29, 21 ; cf. Gell. 17, 2, 21.

arra . v. arrha.


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ARRA

ARRA, ARRABO, an earnest. The word arrâbo is Hebrew, and occurs (ἀρραβὼν,, LXX.) in Gen. 38.17-20, of a ring, bracelets, and staff given as a pledge for the price, and the corresponding verb in Hebrew several times. Ἀρρβὼν is also in Paul (2 Cor. 1.22, 5.5; Eph. 1.14). The Phoenician traders probably brought word and custom to Greece, and Plautus probably followed in this his Greek original (cf. Menand. Fr. inc. 223, Meineke). He uses the word for anything given as sign of a bargain being made and as pledge of its fulfilment. In Most. 648, part (one-third) of the price is called arrabo, and in 978 pignus. In Mil. 957, the arrabo is a ring. In Rud. 46, 555, True. 689, Poen. 1342, the thing is not specified. In Ter. Haut. 603, and Claud. Quadr. ap. Gell. 17.2.21, persons form the arrabo. Varro (L. L. 5.175) speaks of the arrabo as part payment. Excepting in the Plautus-loving Apuleius (Met. 1.20), the word is only found in early Latin.

Pliny and the lawyers use only the form arra, which according to Gellius, l. c., was used by the old Romans and Laberius. He calls both words vulgar. In the Code, the plural arrae is used always, except 4.45, 1. 2.

In D. 14. 3, 5.15, and 19. 1, 11.6, a ring is mentioned as given arrae nomine by a purchaser to bind the bargain; Ulpian (D. 19. 5, 17.5) speaks of rings deposited in a wager (sponsionis causa) and deliverable to the winner. Hence Pliny (Plin. Nat.33.28), in speaking of a custom among common people of producing a ring ad sponsiones, is referring probably to wagers, not to betrothals. But, no doubt, the ring used in a betrothal was only the ordinary mark and pledge of a bargain. The original idea seems to have been a temporary deposit reclaimable on the bargain being fulfilled. The thing thus serving as arra ( earnest; erles penny, North Country English), given on hiring a servant--Queen's shilling in enlisting recruits (Handgeld, Gottesheller, Weinkauf, Germany)--might be a mere token or a pledge of some value, as a ring or a piece of money, or might pass into part payment of the price or part delivery of the thing purchased, and, according to any special agreement or custom, might be forfeitable by the party not carrying out his bargain, such forfeit being in lieu of or in addition to other remedies for breach of contract. According to Roman law, an arra was only a proof of a bargain having been made, and not a necessary condition (Gai. 3.139; D. 18. 1, 35, pr.). On the bargain being fulfilled, its return could be enforced either by an action on its purchase, or by a condictio sine causa (D. 19. 1, 11.6; Cod. 4.45, 2). In sales with a forfeiture clause (see COMMISSUM), default on the part of the purchaser gave the seller the right of retaining the arra, if he declared the sale null (D. 18. 3, 6; cf. ib. 8; Cod. 4.54, 1). Justinian ordained that when an earnest was given to secure the making of a purchase (super facienda emptione), the purchaser, if he declined to complete, should forfeit the earnest; the seller, if he declined, should repay the earnest and as much again: and this, whether the contract was intended to be in writing or not, and though no special agreement had been made as to what was to be done with the earnest money (Cod. 4.21, 17.2; Inst. 3.23, pr. See Savigny, Oblig. § 79; Maynz, Cours, § 259).

Arrae, sometimes arrae sponsaliciae, is used of gifts by the man to the intended wife before marriage as evidence of betrothal (D. 23. 2, 38; Cod. 5.1, 3; 2, 5; 1; 8,. 1.1). And a ring is mentioned in a similar connexion (D. 24. 1, 36.1). A previous constitution, that women declining to fulfil their engagement should repay the amount fourfold (cf. Cod. Th. 3.5, 11), was altered by a constitution of A.D. 472, and only simple or twofold restitution, according to circumstances, was required (Cod. 5.1, 5). If either party died without having made default in the agreement to marry, the arrae were returned (Cod. 5.1, 3).

[H.J.R]